What If – Book II – By RighteousQuery

Day 1- Morning

Marlena laid in the middle of her bed tossing and turning for the last 2 hours. She hadn’t had a good night’s rest in weeks since she’d decided to stop taking Ambien. Although she was Salem’s most celebrated psychiatrist and a pillar of society, she was still human. She still had fears, insecurities, moments of weakness and pain.

She looked at her clock and realized that although it was 5 A.M., it was still morning and she could certainly find something constructive to do at such an early hour. She looked over to the empty side of her bed and rubbed the untouched pillow taking a moment to reflect about who once slept there.

It had been a little over a year since Roman Brady died. On a covert mission for the ISA, he had been displaced from his family for almost a year before Marlena received the news. As devastating as it was to hear that her husband had died, her heart ached more for her children losing their dad.  The truth was, Roman and Marlena had found a way to make their marriage work, but she was never the same after John left Salem. It was easier to find a new groove with Roman, but it was forced and looking back, they both knew it. 

Marlena made her way downstairs to start her morning with a fresh cup of coffee and read through the paper. She was shocked to find her youngest child Belle passed out at the dining table with her laptop still open; textbooks and papers spread all around. She was a sophomore in high school now and preparing for college.

Belle Brady was a bright and outgoing young lady that seemed to live a charmed life. She got good grades, always could do no wrong in her family’s eyes and the object of Marlena’s affection. In a word, she was a much easier child to love compared to her much older and yet troubled sister Sami. As hard as Belle tried, she could never get Sami to like her the way Carrie did. Perhaps it was because Sami felt threatened. Perhaps she was jealous. It was hard to tell with Sami considering she never needed a reason to do half the horrible things she’d done over the years.

“Belle, honey. Wake up,” said Marlena rubbing her daughter’s back as she slept peacefully with her head on the table.  “Baby girl,” Marlena called out. 

Belle popped her head up as if she didn’t mean to doze looking up to reengage with her surroundings. 

“What time is it?” asked Belle feeling the acute onset of stiffness in her neck. 

“It’s 5:30. You have to stop studying so late honey. It’s not good for you,” said Marlena collecting her papers across the table and putting them in neat piles. Marlena noticed how OCD Belle’s notes were and appreciated how her work ethic was a reflection on not just her, but her dad as well.  While Roman was subpar as a husband at best, he was definitely a dedicated cop in his day.  Roman was so dedicated that he had put it before his family every single time — the true reason why he and Marlena’s marriage never really sustained her. 

“I know mom. I just had this final that I need to ace. I really need my GPA to be perfect if I am going to get into law school,” said Belle. 

Marlena just looked at her daughter with such love and adoration. Her heart ached every time she reflected on where she went wrong with Samantha. She had manipulated her and Roman so much during her teenage years, they found themselves constantly at odds. Sami was the master of pitting them against each other while playing on Roman’s weakness as a father.  Marlena pushed for structure and taking accountability, while Roman made excuses for Samantha whenever he could, never sticking around to see the fallout from her actions. 

“You will get into a great law school honey; I know you will.  You’ve worked part-time with Mickey Horton’s law firm. You’ve taken college courses over your summer breaks and you have excellent grades,” she said beaming with pride. 

Belle had blossomed even more over the past 6 months since Sami moved out and gotten her own place. There was less chaos and stress in the Brady residence. To no fault of her own, Belle found herself fighting with her big sister constantly. 

“Are we doing anything to commemorate the anniversary of daddy’s passing? It’s in a few days,” asked Belle. 

Belle was devastated to learn that her father had been killed in action, but she couldn’t really explain why she was able to bounce back faster than the rest of her siblings. She loved her dad, but he wasn’t there consistently while growing up, so her reaction to his death was not as strong as Carrie, Sami and Eric.

It had been a year since Roman’s passing and while Marlena knew that her children would want to acknowledge it, she would happily pass. Roman was her past and she was so looking forward to her future. She was actually thinking about selling the house and starting over fresh.

“Yes, I was thinking about dinner at the pub with all of us. I think it would be appropriate,” replied Marlena.

Now etched in stone because she had made the commitment, Marlena had to add organizing a family dinner to her list. While hoping for the best, Marlena prepared for the worst.

“I just hope Sami will be in a civilized mood. It’s like no matter what I say or do, she bites my head off,” said Belle, stuffing her backpack with last night’s materials.

“To know Sami is to love her. Your sister is an acquired taste but she’s ours and we love her,” said Marlena trying to be as diplomatic as possible.  Sometimes she wondered if she’d cursed Samantha making her the namesake of her late twin; a person also troubled throughout her short life. 

Marlena helped herself to a hot cup of coffee and was happy to find that the morning paper had been delivered nice and early to accommodate her new schedule. Thumbing through the pages, she caught a headline that made her heart skip a beat: “Kristen Blake-Black Extradited to U.S. Amid Trial”.  Emblazoned across the front page was Kristen Blake-Black shielding her face from the press while John and his teenage son Brady stood behind her walking into the Salem Courthouse. 

While the headline in itself was jarring, Marlena couldn’t get past seeing the image of John. The photo wasn’t very clear, but she knew every inch of him and didn’t need a close up to recall the details of his face. She hadn’t seen or spoken to him in years, although she did receive the flowers and hand-written card he’d sent from Europe when it was announced that Roman died. She was always hopeful that they could catch up, but him being married to Kristen and living in England, it was best to just leave things where they were.

Reading through the article, Marlena learned that Kristen was being indicted on insider trading, wire fraud, evasion and obstruction.  Clearly she took after her adoptive father Stefano DiMera minus the getting away with it part. 

John Black was back in Salem and although Marlena didn’t know for how long, she toyed with the idea of reaching out. They had left things in an amicable place all those years ago. On the heels of her being kidnapped by Stella Lombard and being entombed in the pit with John Black, emotions had gotten extremely complicated. A day didn’t go by that Marlena didn’t reminisce about the 2 times they’d given in to their feelings and fell into each other’s arms. Three if you counted the heavy make-out session in the hot springs one night as their travel companions slept peacefully upstairs. 

Yeah, Marlena behaved very out of character during those times and it was evident when she learned she was pregnant. Of all of the entanglements to be involved in, Marlena found herself sneaking around her place of business verifying that Roman was the father of a then unborn Belle. As much as she loved John, she was more than relieved to learn that Roman was the father. She took that as a sign that they should just remain friends and never speak of their short-lived affair again. It was painful for her and the one tear in her heart.

Staring at the grainy image of John walking into the courthouse opened a floodgate of memories. Watching him marry Kristen Blake was devastating and perhaps a catalyst to why she found herself slowly pulling away from Roman throughout the course of their marriage.  She knew she’d made the wrong choice but was determined to live with it. 

Brady Black lounged on the sofa of the Kiriakis Estate like he owned the place.  Clearly having Victor as a grandfather had its privileges. An exhausted John entered the room in a huff searching for answers to a credit card bill he’d just opened.

“Brady, do you want to explain to me what all these charges are for food, GameStop and every store in The Mall of America?” said John behind a clenched jaw. 

Brady continued to look at the television without acknowledging John’s concern. “Kristen told me it was cool, so I got some stuff,” he said without the least bit of concern. “What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is, we are…I am wealthy. You aren’t. If you are going to need all these luxuries, I suggest you get a job!” exclaimed John seething at Brady’s disrespect.  

“Dad, I’m 17 and on a plane every other day. Where am I going to get a job?” asked Brady with a twinge of sarcasm.  He had a valid point and on a whim John spat out a response.

“That’s a great point son so I guess it’s a good time to tell you that we are here in Salem permanently, so after you register for class, I suggest you stop by GameStop and see if they are hiring,” said John tossing today’s paper onto Brady’s lap. “Since you’ve already provided the comics, try the want ads and get off the sofa like you own the place. Take a shower and go be productive.” 

It had been a challenge raising Brady as a single parent.  Yes, he was married to Kristen, but he soon learned that she was not wife or mother material. Once she’d gotten her hands on John’s seed money to grow her own corporation, she was rarely around leaving John and Brady to fend for themselves.

In the back of John’s mind he knew that Kristen was aware that she was his second choice and a mere consolation prize and although he did what he could to make her feel like a significant fixture in his life, he always dreamed about if things could have been different. What if Marlena had run away with him? What if she’d left Roman and allowed their relationship to grow? What if Belle Brady had been his? What if…? He played this game with himself more times than he could count, but he respected Marlena’s decision to give her family a chance. He understood it, but he also resented it. 

He hadn’t seen or spoken to Marlena in years by design. Selfishly, he’d decided that if he couldn’t be her lover, he didn’t want to be anything at all. It hurt too much and there was no way he could coexist in Salem watching her pregnant with Roman’s child knowing how devastated he was to receive the conclusive paternity results about Belle. Adding insult to injury, Roman had opted to name their child after his late wife as a gesture of goodwill. If Roman had only known that he could have been Belle’s father. He wasn’t proud of the situation, but it was the truth and a pain that he’d lived with for years.

He’d decided to marry Kristen in hopes that it would allow him the grace to move on with his life after Marlena pushed him away, and it felt right for a while. The truth was, he’d never gotten over Marlena Evans. She was the true love of his life and would regret letting her go until the day he died. 

Kristen walked into the living room as if she didn’t have a care in the world.  She wasn’t behaving like she was a woman facing a litany of federal charges and decades of imprisonment looming over her head. Making herself a hefty martini, she stirred her cocktail with her finger and licked it.
“Howdy guys. First day back in Salem. Do you miss England yet?” she said with a twinge of sarcasm. 

John was starting to see where Brady had gotten his sense of humor.

Kristen Blake- Black had changed significantly since leaving Salem all those years ago. Back then she was what most would have considered “likable” for all intents and purposes. She smiled, engaged in light chatter and complemented those that were more in need of a makeover, but that person died long ago. Now she considered herself a formidable powerhouse that made her own rules and decisions and as quiet as it was kept, rested on the laurels of her father’s power to navigate through the business world with reckless abandon. That was the true reason why she was able to keep a stiff upper lip during this trial.  It was the power of Stefano DiMera that had gotten her trial moved to Salem, a small town where he had the latitude to flex and help Kristen avoid paying for a litany of flagrant crimes.

Yes, Kristen Blake Black considered herself Kristen DiMera in every sense of the word. She’d blossomed into a lying and conniving vixen unbeknownst to John, leaving countless victims behind. For whatever reason, John had allowed Kristen to live out her dreams of creating her global lifestyle brand K.Blake without interfering or even advising on her business endeavors. To be honest, it was easy to stay married to her when she had things to do. Growing K.Blake kept Kristen away from home for weeks on end and the little time she was home, she stayed glued to her phone which suited John just fine. It gave him more time to brood and keep an eye on Brady.

John Black had been miserable since leaving Salem. Sure he smiled, laughed and appreciated all of the good fortunes that life had gifted him, but he wasn’t satisfied. He’d missed Salem tremendously and how simple life was. Seeing the same friendly faces day after day, the sense of community and most importantly, the chance to see Marlena.

He wasn’t sure if she was aware that he was back in Salem. He hadn’t made an announcement, but he did happen to make today’s paper. Maybe giving her a call to say hello would be a good gesture. How would she receive his call? Perhaps timing a visit to the hospital in hopes of running into her was a better idea? He didn’t know how to approach it, but the more he thought about her, the more anxious he became. Did she let her hair grow long, the way he liked it? Did she still wear that heavenly lavender scent that drove him wild? 

Feeling himself slightly getting aroused at the thought of her was a clear indication that his feelings had never changed. He was still in love with her after all of these years. She had never left his mind or his heart. Sadly, it was her face that he saw on the few occasions he’d sleep with Kristen and his prime focus when he masturbated. No other woman did it for him like Marlena did. He just hoped that she would be receptive to being friends again.

“Honey, I was thinking of evicting the tenants staying in the DiMera mansion. What do you think?” asked Kristen in a very vapid tone.  “Although I really don’t see us being here more than a few weeks.”

John heard Kristen’s voice, but didn’t comprehend a thing she said.  He had gotten so used to drowning her out and it was something he needed to work on. 

“I’m sorry dear, what?” asked John trying to take his mind off Marlena.

“I was asking about where we should stay while we are here?” asked Kristen moving in closer to garner his attention.

Kristen was still very jealous and protective of John. Not because she loved him, but because he represented a victory for her. It meant more to her than anything, that John had married her and pulled away from Marlena. Their closeness always threatened her. The moment they found an opportunity to leave Salem, Kristen pushed for it. The more distance she could put between Marlena and John the better. Even though she’d managed to marry John and take him across the Atlantic, he still never looked at her the same way she’d caught him looking at Marlena. It made her blood boil and was truly her Achilles Heel.

While the trial being moved to Salem was great for her legal woes, it was a huge risk for her marriage. She’d have to work double time to make sure she kept John away from Marlena as much as possible. Hopefully, she could get the trial over and done expeditiously and be back in Europe in no time flat. 

“I definitely think we need to look into more permanent accommodations. I’m not staying in a DiMera property, respectfully…,” said John, honoring his promise to remain respectful when speaking to Kristen about her family. “I’ve decided to let Brady finish his senior year here. Get a job. Get some life skills.”

Kristen damn near choked on her Martini. “Honey, K.Blake runs out of Europe. We can’t stay in Salem. I mean it’s going to take years for us to rebuild our reputation after this trial is over,” she said. 

“I am sure we can figure out a way to allow Brady to finish school plus fly back and forth for business. I am also sure there will be times that we will be apart, but we’ve done it before,” said John very matter of fact. 

“John, I don’t think Salem is the best place to raise a boy like Brady. His social scene is in England. Salem is too slow for him. He’d be bored stiff and get into all sorts of trouble,” said Kristen trying to scramble for a reason for John to change his mind. 

“Brady is staying in Salem. Where you and I will be…,” said John as he shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows?”

Kristen downed the rest of her martini and pondered what John had just said.  She wasn’t sure exactly what he meant about where they would be. She had only been in Salem for 36 hours and she was already starting to feel insecure. She needed to get word to her father that she needed this trial over in record time. Her entire future depended on it. 

Day 1- Afternoon

Marlena charted her last patient for the day and decided to head over to Salem Place. Her plan was to grab some mementos she had made for the kids and present them at Roman’s memorial dinner. She didn’t want this to be an annual thing, but it had only been a year and she wanted to be supportive to her kids.

Walking through the plaza, she decided to grab a coffee considering she had been up since 5. She was going to have to figure out her sleep schedule because it was starting to wreak havoc on her body. She felt fatigued, lethargic and very distracted. 

Turning the corner in a haste she bumped into Kristen and was shocked to see her. It wasn’t because she didn’t know she was in town, but because she had just had another thought about John.

“Wow, is that you Kristen? Kristen Blake in Salem?” asked Marlena.

“Marlena. Hi, yes. It’s Black now. Kristen Blake-BLACK now actually,” said Kristen going for the dig.

“What brings you back to Salem?” asked Marlena, playing coy.

There was no need to lie about the trial. It was all over the news and Kristen knew that Marlena was more than aware unless she lived under a rock. “We are just in town for a few days to get some legal things in order. I am sure you heard all of the buzz. We thought bringing the trial to a small sleepy town like Salem would give us an unbiased jury.”

“I did hear about that. Best of luck to you,” said Marlena trying to find an out.

Kristen and Marlena stared awkwardly at each other for at least ten seconds with deafening silence. It was obvious that both of them were completely unprepared for a run in that they knew was going to happen at some point. 

Marlena was relieved that John wasn’t with her because she knew Kristen would have spackled on the PDA and fawn all over him to highlight how happy they were. She wished the best for John, but now the shoe was on the other foot and she didn’t want to stick around and see it. Who knows, what if John had become a complete jerk? What if he became shallow and feckless like Kristen? It was very possible considering they had been married all these years. The fact was, John Black was a virtual stranger to her. She hadn’t seen him in a lifetime and most certainly would be different, she certainly was.

“Well I’m just doing a little shopping. Not sure Salem has the kind of stuff they have in Europe but I am sure I can find a few outfits to dress down so I can fit in,” snarked Kristen. She found herself feeling extremely threatened and she didn’t know why.

“Well I am late for my date. Give John and Brady my best,” said Marlena and abruptly walked away. She had just told a bold face lie for absolutely no reason. The last thing she wanted to do was spend another moment with the likes of Kristen Blake, but why did she say she was late for a date? Where did that even come from and why did it part her lips at that moment?

Marlena got to her car and sat behind the wheel drinking her coffee deep in thought. What if she had run into John? What if John had been with Kristen? How awkward would it have been? Would they hug? Shake hands? Wave? Her mind was racing with every plausible scenario. John knew he was in town so clearly contacting her had to have crossed his mind. The moment she saw his photo in the paper, she wanted to call him although she had no idea what to say. How did one just pick up on where they left off when so much time had passed by?

The truth of the matter was, she never stopped loving John. She never moved on or even wanted to entertain the thought of moving on with anyone else other than John. She secretly hoped that Kristen’s trial would keep them here long enough for her to explore her future with John in it, either as a friend or the person to offer her some much-needed closure. 

Perhaps it was the two long years of celibacy that she’d endured. Dating had been the last thing on her mind, and she was not one for casual hookups. The thought of John and the best lover she ever had being in town definitely woke something up in her. She’d fantasized countless times about their lovemaking on the plane as well as the throws of passion that took place on the Titan table all those years ago. Just thinking about it made Marlena flushed with fever. Perhaps a quick fantasy about John and a little self-pleasure would clear her mind. She was bound to run into him at some point and the last thing she wanted to do was come off desperate and stuck in the past.

Belle stood in the counselor’s office of her high school waiting for her appointment when she noticed a new face enter. He was tall, slim, had dark hair and carried an edge.

“Excuse me, is this where I register for enrollment,” Brady asked the clerk behind the counter.

“No. That would be the admissions office just down the hall. Once you’ve completed enrollment, then you can come back here, and we can get you set up with a counselor. What’s your last name?” asked the clerk.

“Black. Brady Black,” said Brady unenthused. 

“That means your counselor will be Mr. Stewart,” said the clerk. “I will schedule you for tomorrow morning at 8. You can sit with him and pick your classes then.” 

Just then the clerk noticed Belle standing in the corner waiting patiently. “Ms. Brady. Right on time as per usual. Mr. Stewart is ready for you,” she said then turning to Brady. “And Mr. Stewart will see you tomorrow. Make sure you have all of your records with you so that we can select the best classes for you.”

Belle made her way down to Mr. Stewart’s office trying not to give Brady a double take. It wasn’t every day that they got a new student that just happened to be incredibly hot. He hadn’t even looked in her direction, so she instantly put him out of her mind.

“Mr. Stewart, thanks for making time for me. I wanted to talk to you about getting a letter of recommendation. I wanted to apply for an apprenticeship this summer and applications are due next week,” said Belle, always planning ahead.

“I would be happy to, although I reviewed your file and if you also wanted to be considered for the work study class, you are a few hours short on your tutoring fulfillment,” said Mr. Stewart. 

Belle had enrolled in every program to keep her out of the house when Sami was home. It was all that she could think to do to keep her occupied and out of the line of fire. Now with Sami gone, she had found some much needed down time and found herself slacking a bit.

“Right! Ok, yes. I am aware and have plans to fulfill that,” said Belle realizing she’d dropped the ball. “How many hours do I have left?”

“Four, which means that you have about 2 weeks before the deadline. Will you be able to complete it?” asked Mr. Stewart.

“I totally got it. It’s been busy this week. Preparing for my dad’s memorial and all,” said Belle. It wasn’t her M.O. to use her dad as an excuse, but it just rolled off her tongue.

Mr. Stewart paused and gave thought to Belle’s reasoning. “I liked Roman. He was a good guy. I didn’t realize it had been a year. I’ll extend your deadline by a week,” he said.

Belle never intended to use the anniversary of her father’s death as an excuse for slacking, nor was she fishing for any sort of concession. “Oh no Mr. Stewart, I don’t want any special treatment. I can make the deadline,” said Belle turning beet red. 

“I’ve done it for another student and it’s at my discretion. This is 100% above board, it’s also in the handbook. Take the week Brady. You’ve been working hard and frankly, overextending yourself beyond measure. Is everything ok?” asked Mr. Stewart.

Outside of being a little tired, Belle was fine. Things had actually been much better since Sami moved out. “I am fine. I did over obligate myself this semester, but I’m scaling back for sure. Promise,” said Belle. 

She left the office feeling completely flushed. She didn’t even feel like herself. Maybe her schedule was starting to take its toll. Maybe Mr. Stewart was right, and she needed to ask herself why she was pushing so hard. Her parents had never scolded her for bringing home grades less than an A. They always just asked her to apply herself and do her very best.  

Just as she was about to leave the building Mr. Stewart ran out to catch her. “Miss. Brady, I’m glad I caught you. In lieu of the 4 hours of tutoring, I was wondering if you could act as an ambassador for the week. We just got a new enrollment and if you could spend a few minutes a day showing him around introducing him to all of the useful points of interest around campus, we could accept that as fulfillment as well.”

Belle was really interested in anything to free up her time and this could definitely free her up to sleep, watch TV or simply do nothing. “Sure, Mr. Stewart. Who is it?” asked Belle.

“Ah, how ironic. Another Brady only that’s the first name. Brady Black,” said Mr. Stewart. “Meet him in my office after first period. He should be ready by then.”

Belle had completely forgotten about the hot guy that she’d seen in the office earlier. She did remember hearing his name now that she thought of it. Brady Black. What a coincidence that his first name was her last name. Hopefully he wasn’t some arrogant jerk with misogynistic points of view. Or worse, some immature jerk that goofed off and played pranks all day. 

The little she did see of Brady Black she inferred that he was detached. Bored or preoccupied. Like something heavy was weighing on his spirit. She was only the daughter of the world’s best psychiatrist, but she’d learned a thing or two from her mother. Especially when she would go off on Sami. By the time Belle was 10, she inherently knew the top 10 mental disorders and the symptoms displayed by her sister. Belle was willing to bet her bottom dollar that Sami was a sociopath and could never be convinced otherwise.

Day 1- Evening

John walked down the hall of University Hospital feeling somewhat nostalgic. There were so many times he’d stood in these very corridors anticipating news good and bad. That corner over there was where he stood while waiting to hear that Carrie was ok when she was struck by a car. The same coffee station was off to the corner where he remembered standing when he learned Marlena was pregnant.

Yes, these corridors held more memories than John could remember. Because of the late time of day, John was certain that Marlena had gone for the night, although he secretly wished he’d bump into her by a simple twist of fate. 

The moment he landed in Salem he wanted to give her a call, but he didn’t know how to face her. He clearly owed her an explanation for staying out of her life. There was so much she didn’t know and so much he wanted to say, but was it too late?

He found his way to the front of her office and rubbed his hand over the nameplate. Dr. Marlena Evans. Just the thought of being where she once was just a few hours ago brought John a sense of peace. Oddly, he hadn’t recognized that this element was missing from his life until that very moment. Literally being even close to something related to Marlena made his heart smile.

On a whim he grabbed a piece of paper off the nurse’s station and decided to leave her a note. Clearly he could have called or left her a verbal message, but this method seemed less intrusive yet more intentional. In a flash John could envision Marlena getting the note, sitting behind her desk rubbing the back of her hand across her lips pondering what to do. He knew her so well or at least he thought he did.

What if she was completely over him? What if she ended up being very happy with Roman after all? What if she wasn’t the same Marlena that he’d been in love with all of these years? Anything was possible. 

Writing a short but sweet note, he folded it up and stuck it in her inbox and left for home. But for Brady, John would have kept on driving and never looked back. 

Marlena sat at her dining table sorting the mail when Belle came in and dropped her bags on the floor and collapsed on the sofa.

“I am so glad this day is over!” exclaimed Belle. “I am exhausted!”

Marlena walked over to the sofa and sat beside Belle putting her sweet girl’s head in her lap.

“Rough day sweetheart?” asked Marlena, happy to have some much needed one on one time.

“It actually worked out in the end. I guess I am more relieved than tired,” said Belle with a sudden burst of optimism. “Although, something strange happened today and I can’t seem to get it out of my head.”

Marlena stroked her daughter’s hair so grateful to be considered a confidant. “What happened honey?” she asked.

Belle was somewhat ashamed but more curious to get a reason for what she was going through. She sat up and looked at her mom which was an indication to Marlena that it was serious.

“I kinda used daddy’s anniversary as an excuse today and I don’t know why. It wasn’t even on my mind but all of a sudden it just came out. Then Mr. Stewart tried to give me special accommodations and…” began Belle.

“Are you struggling with it being a year? You seemed to have adjusted so well that I didn’t sense that you needed…” began Marlena.

Belle hugged her mom tight. “No, mom. I am fine. I promise. I am actually better than fine. I was just saying earlier that since Sami has been out of the house, I have been great,” said Belle. 

Marlena harbored an enormous amount of guilt for Sami’s behavior. It was so hard to referee among sisters when the same one was wrong 9 times out of 10. In the end, Marlena always appeared as though she was taking Belle’s side when she was only standing up for what was right. 

Covering the first 6 months of Samantha’s rent to help her get and hopefully stay on her feet was the only thing Marlena could think to do outside of kicking Sami out. She had to admit that the house did flow a lot smoother without her. 

“Well I just think that subconsciously, your daddy has been on your mind this week. I believe that at that very moment you were preoccupied with his memorial and that’s why you said it,” suggested Marlena. “It’s funny you had that experience today because I had a similar thing happen to me too.”

“Really? What happened?” asked Belle.

Marlena knew this wasn’t the right conversation to be having with her teenage daughter when she thought about all of the nuances, but she decided to share the short version. “I ran into an old acquaintance and said I was late for a date,” said Marlena shaking her head.

“A date? Mom are you dating?” asked Belle full of enthusiasm.

Marlena was shocked at Belle’s reaction. Usually teens didn’t want to even think of their parents as anything but mom and dad. 

“No honey. I am not dating or thinking about dating,” said Marlena. “Which is why I was shocked that it came out of my mouth.”

Belle smirked and decided to return the favor her mom had just given her. “Perhaps it’s because subconsciously you are ready to start dating and it was on your mind when you said it,” said Belle. 

Marlena hugged her daughter and scoffed at the idea. Although she had to admit that the moment she knew John was in Salem, her emotions were all over the place. Just the thought of him stirred so many dormant feelings that she had forgotten. She actually felt more alive than she could remember. 

Tomorrow she was going to reach out and say hello. She’d call around and find out where they were staying. What could be the harm? 

Day 2- Morning

The People vs. Kristen Blake-Black commenced this morning at 8 A.M. sharp. John, although hopeful that his wife would persevere through her trial, couldn’t help but think about the possibility of hearing from Marlena today. He’d left a note in her inbox last night and any moment she would be checking her messages and see his note.

The only wrinkle in his plan was the fact that he would be in court all day so if Marlena did return his call, he wouldn’t get the message right away. 

Kristen came out of the bathroom dressed to the nines in vintage Chanel from head to toe. Giving herself a few last looks, she was pleased with her reflection. Sure, she’d bent the rules a little to secure her position in life. She also copped to fudging numbers so that K.Blake could go public with a great IPO.  Everything she had done up to this point was justified and she’d do it again in a heartbeat.

“How do I look, honey? You like?” asked Kristen, giving a little twirl.  It was almost like she had no understanding about how serious this hearing was. 

“Your attorney suggested that you be a little modest. I don’t think your get up says that at all. We need to show a little humility,” said John, breaking his word to not critique or make strategic suggestions. “Do what you want to do, but it’s my two cents.”

Kristen knew John had a point, but this was going to be covered by all of the major news outlets and the last thing she wanted was a bad photo to go along with bad press. This trial was going to forever be attached to the K.Blake brand and she was determined to control the optics. 

“I’ll be downstairs. We need to head out soon or we will be late,” said John.

Walking down the hall, he ran into Brady who navigated like a slow-moving beast. It was his first day of school and he had an 8 A.M. meeting with his counselor and a babysitting tour thereafter. The last thing he wanted was to be led around by some bubbly sophomore that rambled on incessantly and used the word “like” throughout every sentence. 

John looked at his son and had a litany of regrets. He regretted that his mom died before he could even say her name. He regretted raising him abroad among pretentious people; driven by material things and social status.  He also regretted subjecting Brady to a life of emptiness and a poor example of a happy home. Being in Salem was making him reflect long and hard about the choices he’d made and how they had affected him.

“Son, I know this move is a huge change for you and I want to let you know that things are going to get better. I really want you to be happy. I’m going to do whatever I can to see to that,” said John.

Brady heard his father loud and clear and yet all that he could do was grunt in acknowledgement. Frankly, a joint would be ideal right now. If he was going to stay in Salem, he was going to have to find a new dealer, which was going to be a pain in such a small town. Once he got familiar with the geography, he’d make his way to Chicago and get the right plug. 

John passed one of the staff at Victor’s estate. “If you get any message for me today, can you please take them down for me? I’ll be calling in a few times today to check in with you. I am waiting for an important call,” said John. He wanted to cover his bases and make sure he was alerted the moment Marlena reached out.

Belle stood in front of the counselor’s office waiting patiently for her ticket to freedom. While the thought of walking around with a hot guy was something out of a movie, she knew that things in the real world were never as exciting.

Brady walked out of the office with his classes in hand and approached Belle as if he couldn’t be bothered. Picking up on his energy, she decided to play it cool and not act too friendly.

“Hey, I’m Belle Brady. Brady Black, right?” she said, breaking the ice.

“What’s up?” said Brady. “So, how does this work? You show me around and then that’s it right?”

“Technically yes. But I wanted to show a little bit each day since we always have things going on. Like today I’ll show you the library and computer lab. Tomorrow there is a pep rally to launch spirit week and then maybe I can introduce you to your class president at lunch. You are a senior right?” asked Belle.

“Yes and I won’t need any of that. I don’t plan on needing the library and I sure as hell ain’t dealing with spirit week. I am sure you are doing this babysitting thing for extra credit or some nerdy club, so let’s just keep it a bean. You walk with me for the next 10 minutes for show and we break and do our own thing,” said Brady with his day all mapped out. 

Great, it was the moody and dark guy that wanted to rebel for attention but claimed he just wanted to be left alone.

“How about we commit to walking around campus for 15 minutes a day and you at least see the suggested points of interest. If you use them, great. If not, no skin off my nose,” said Belle trying to keep a nonchalant approach.

They walked toward the quad area in complete silence. Belle wanted to engage, but Brady was acting a fraction beyond antisocial.  Luckily dealing with Sami had prepared her for dealing with obtuse individuals.

“So, where are you from?” asked Belle.

“I came from England, but was born here,” said Brady flatly.

“Really? Europe must be a really cool place to live. What’s it like?” asked Belle trying to engage.

Brady hadn’t had a conversation or been asked about himself in ages and although someone actually taking the time to learn about him was great, he didn’t know how to respond without feeling uncomfortable. 

“It’s like every other place I’ve lived I guess,” said Brady.

So an antisocial guy that didn’t give details. Belle inferred that he lived in the shadows and preferred to be off the radar. “Well Salem isn’t as fast as some of the fancy places that you’ve been to, but we hold our own here,” said Belle showing spirit. 

They stopped in front of the quad area where a few guys cutting class loitered. Brady took a look at the group and saw what he was looking for. 

“Who are they?” asked Brady.

“Oh that’s Marshall Holman and his flunkies. Don’t get mixed up with them. Before you look up, you will be fitting the description of and in jail,” said Belle. 

That was music to Brady’s ears.  Anyone fitting the description was a person worth knowing.

“Thanks for the tour. It’s been 15 minutes,” said Brady as he walked off and went over to introduce himself to Marshall. 

Belle watched Brady walk off and engage with the worst crowd ever. Happy to be free for the day, she did an about face and went to class. 

Marlena got to her office anticipating a full schedule. She grabbed her messages and before she could sift through them, Sami turned the corner in a fever.

“Mom, I am so glad I caught you!” said Sami. 

She had grown into a strikingly beautiful woman. Hopefully in due time, her spirit would catch up.

“Hi honey,” said Marlena, kissing her on the cheek. “What’s going on?”

Sami followed Marlena into her office and collapsed on the sofa like a patient.

“I’ve been doing really well since leaving and I want to thank you for covering my rent for the last 6 months, but I was wondering,” began Sami.

Marlena took a deep breath and prepared herself for another excuse from Sami as to why she was entitled to whatever she was about to ask for. 

“I was wondering if I could get an extension on my rental assistance package from dear old mom,” finished Sami.

“Sami, we talked about this. I want you to succeed and flourish, but you have to stand on your own. I can’t keep bailing you out,” said Marlena trying to not trigger Sami into one of her tantrums. 

“You are right mom, but my last job didn’t work out so well so I am a little behind with being able to cover my rent as planned, but I really think I am going to get this new job and should be fine. I just need a little more time,” said Sami.

Marlena had a full schedule and the last thing she needed looming over her head was Sami’s reign of terror. “Samantha, I will cover one month more and after that, I’m done,” said Marlena flatly. 

Samantha’s crystal blue eyes began to sparkle. It was her tell before she flew into a rage. “Mom, 3 would be better. I mean rent is due in a week and I just think that…,” rambled Sami.

“Fine! Two months. Two months more and then I have to cut you off honey. I love you, but I am doing this for your own good,” said Marlena. “Now I’ll have a patient here at any moment so I have to wrap this up. Don’t forget about dinner tonight at the pub.”

While her visit hadn’t gone completely according to plan, two months was better than one. It had been a challenge getting back on her feet after the secret hell that she’d been through. Unbeknownst to her family, Sami had been trying to deal with health complications from a botched procedure she’d elected to have during one of her low periods. 

She was in heavy competition with Carrie over Austin and getting a few nips and tucks in Colombia seemed like a good idea. Now she was finding that procedures and medications were approved by the FDA for a reason. She was actually at the hospital that morning for yet another lab to figure out why she had been feeling so poorly. 

Being on her own did give Sami a newfound level of confidence and she was determined to make the best of her life. She was tired of being the family black sheep and really wanted something to bring home and brag about. Her dad was her only cheerleader and not hearing his approval over the last two years had taken a toll on her esteem. Just a few more weeks and her life would be on easy street. 

Marlena began to sift through messages when her first appointment arrived. She still hadn’t checked them all but planned to take a peek after her first patient. The truth was, she needed to carve out some time to find out where John was staying. She’d talked herself into reaching out and now she was starting to get cold feet.  Why was she so nervous and full of apprehension? Perhaps because she had a lifetime of feelings that were starting to rise to the surface. 

The hypocrisy of her making a living off those she guided toward making tough decisions. Maybe taking her own advice would serve her, but now she had to put her personal life away and become the formidable Dr. Marlena Evans. 

After her session, Marlena sat at her desk trying to decide if she wanted to track John down and reach out or deal with her messages. The idea of calling John and him answering the phone made her heart race a million beats per second.  Deciding to avoid the hard stuff so early in the morning, Marlena committed to sifting through her messages.

Just as she had gotten to John’s hand written note, her phone rang. It was her secretary calling to announce her last appointment had been canceled for the day.  This was great news because she could leave immediately after lunch and decompress before her dinner at the pub. She was hopeful that Carrie and Eric would be able to make it. They both lived in Chicago and rarely made time to drive into Salem.

Returning to her stack of messages, Marlena read them one by one and then her heart skipped a beat. In her hand was a folded piece of paper inscribed with a handwriting she hadn’t seen in years. It was a note from John. Her heart raced rapidly in anticipation of what the note said and resisted the urge to read it.

With a patient arriving at any moment, Marlena worried that the contents would prevent her from being present. What if John’s note said something that she wasn’t prepared to read? What if he wanted to meet for coffee? What if he’d invite her to have dinner with him and Kristen? The thought of any scenario gave her an enormous amount of anxiety. 

Just as she was about to open the note, her next appointment arrived. Taking a deep breath, she put the note in her top drawer and proceeded with business as usual.

Kristen walked out of the courtroom in a huff and very aware that her father hadn’t made the necessary calls to expedite this trial. The judge seemed to have an ax to grind and clearly showed Kristen very little leniency. With another court day like today, she would be in Salem for weeks if not months. She had to make contact with her father, but leaving messages for him at a service, sometimes she wasn’t aware that he was getting her requests. 

John came out of the courtroom right behind her distracted because all he wanted to do was call the house to see if Marlena had returned his call.  Had she gotten his note? If she did, what was her response going to be?  He had the urge to run over to the hospital at lunch time if he could. The waiting was killing him. 

Kristen could tell that John was in a world of his own, but what else was new? She would worry about how preoccupied he was later. For now, she needed to find a phone and call her father asap. 

John excused himself to go outside and get some much-needed air. Standing on the steps with the brisk Salem air felt good hitting his lungs. Despite the reasons for being in Salem, it felt good to be home. It also felt good to be less than a mile away from Marlena. He was determined to hear her voice today, even if he had to call her and hang up after she said hello.  He needed to see her. He needed to touch her. He needed to hear her voice and before tonight he planned on making it happen. 

Brady and Marshall became fast friends after Brady learned about the reach of Marshall’s rolodex. Belle was right about him being a bad seed and it was going to play right into Brady’s hands. Maybe being in a slow and sleepy town like Salem wasn’t going to be bad after all. He could do his own thing completely under the radar with no questions asked. Maybe even engaging with Belle Brady and her good girl persona would also give him an even better cover. She clearly gave off the good girl vibes and could get anyone to believe her and eat out of the palm of her hands. 

Brady had learned how to manipulate people like a pro watching his stepmother operate. For whatever reason, adults always underestimated the recollection of a child. Brady could remember being as young as six seeing his stepmother hug the man cleaning the pool a lot. She was also friendly with the kickboxing instructors that came to train them. By the time Brady was ten, he was very clear on who and what Kristen was. He never spoke about what he’d deduced about her insipid character. Kristen was his father’s problem and the moment he turned 18, he was taking his trust fund and headed to Ibiza. 

Marlena walked her client to the door and bid him a farewell. She had spent an entire hour trying to maintain focus when all she wanted to do was read her note from John. How pubescent was she behaving like a high school girl with a letter she’d found in her locker? Rubbing her sweating palms on her skirt she decided to read her note.

Carving out a personal moment, Marlena decided to walk over to the window to allow some natural light to hit her face as her hands trembled while unfolding the paper. The opening of the note itself made Marlena well up with tears.

Doc,

Long time no see. I’m in town and would love to catch up. Hope all has been well with you.

-John

The fact that he called her Doc meant more than he would ever know. It was the same John she’d said goodbye to all those years ago. He never would have called her Doc if he didn’t still feel something. Doc was a term of endearment and reading them from him made her heart smile.  To her dismay, he didn’t add his contact information which was a disappointment.  Did he do it intentionally? 

Deciding to stay positive, Marlena read the note at least 5 more times and rubbed her hand across it. He must have dropped it off last night if not early this morning. Why didn’t he call? It would have been an even greater treat to hear his voice. He was probably as nervous as she was so she would take what she could get. 

Feeling hopeful that this was a good sign, Marlena held the note close to her heart and tried to push on with the rest of her day. Most importantly, she would have to call around to find out where John was staying. She could put her secretary on it but asking her to do personal errands was something Marlena frowned upon.  After her next appointment, she could break for lunch and enjoy a little down time. That’s when she would make a few calls and find out where to call John and say hello. 

“Ms. Brady, we are going to have to operate in order to remove the necrotic tissue. Whatever they used as a filler is starting to dissolve and your body isn’t passing it,” said the doctor to Sami during her final consult. This was her 3rd opinion and it was unanimous, there was no easy way out of this.

“So I am definitely feeling like this because of the implants? I mean you are sure it’s nothing else that has been making me sick?” asked Sami.

“I’m positive. I would like to schedule your surgery for this week. I won’t know how bad it is until I get in there. It may be an ongoing procedure,” said the doctor apologetically. 

“What do you mean and ongoing procedure? You mean more than one surgery?” asked Sami in a panic.

“I’m afraid so, but it’s too early to say. I’ll have my nurse put you on the schedule and you can start your pre op labs starting tomorrow. You’ll have to fast for 24 hours. If you start now, you can have them done tomorrow around this time,” said the doctor.

Sami took the forms from the doctor and left his office completely unprepared for the options she had just been offered. She had been feeling horrible for well over a year and it was starting to get progressively worse. She had to figure out how she was going to manage paying for the surgery having no health insurance. She was starting to see firsthand what her mom meant by “life skills”. 

The cramp in her legs started to sink in as she tried to wrap her head around how she was going to get out of this one. She could go to her mom and ask for help again, but she couldn’t bear the thought of another lecture, especially after she’d just groveled for an extension on her rent. Growing up was giving her the blues and if she’d had it to do all over again, she would have moved smarter.

The first mistake she made was using her life insurance payout on a new car and enhancements. She’d told her mother that she’d invested it in a long-term account that she didn’t want to touch until it grew into something substantial, something she now wished was the truth. The truth was, Sami had blown through $100,000 and had nothing to show for it except a nice car that she couldn’t afford the maintenance on and a botched makeover.  Maybe Eric could help her out? Maybe she could reach out to her grandparents? She was going to figure out something fast because she was feeling worse every day and had to get her health under control before it was too late. 

John hung up the payphone and was very disappointed to hear that he hadn’t received any messages. Why hadn’t Marlena called? Maybe she was annoyed because of all the time that had passed. He had an explanation and hoped that she would understand why he’d made the choice he did.  She’d made a choice to stay with Roman and he’d accepted that. Clearly, she’d understand his position.  

Kristen finished having a sidebar with her attorney and was very optimistic that Stefano would receive her message before tomorrow morning. As it stood, the judge was less than impressed with the findings and her attorney was working overtime to get certain charges dismissed.  She was happy to see John walking down the hall and dug deep for her phony self-confidence. 

“Recess should be over soon. How about we grab a nice lunch at Tuscany for old time’s sake,” offered Kristen. 

John could hear his stomach growl having skipped breakfast but had just decided he had plans for lunch.

“That sounds like a great idea honey, but the realtor called, and I want to check out this property before someone snatches it. It seems like the perfect place,” said John trying to carve out some much-needed personal time. He wasn’t a liar, but he needed to make his way over to the hospital to see Marlena. He couldn’t take it anymore. He refused to allow another day to pass without hearing from her. He would go knock on her front door if he had to. What if she was seeing someone? What if this someone answered the door if he popped up? It was a risk he was willing to take.

“Oh, ok. Well I can come with you,” offered Kristen. 

“No honey. It’s mundane. Plus, you will shoot it down if it doesn’t have the right amount of closet space and I want to give the property a fair trial,” said John. He realized the unintentional pun but breezed over it. “Just strategize with your attorney and we can meet back here.”

Kristen wasn’t happy with John wanting to veer off to do his own thing. Lunch was only 1.5 hours so he couldn’t get into too much trouble in that short amount of time. Clearly he hadn’t seen or spoken to Marlena because he wasn’t behaving like he was on cloud nine. Maybe she had moved on. She did say she was late for a date. It would be the best news ever to hear that Marlena Evans was still off the Market. It would make Kristen’s life so much easier. Hopefully after tonight, she would have the latitude to leave Salem and the thoughts of Marlena Evans behind. If Stefano got her message in time, that indeed was very possible. 

Day 2- Afternoon

Marlena finished her appointments for the day and decided to take a short walk to clear her head. She was over the moon that John had reached out and even more so that he called her Doc. She called the Salem Inn and verified that he wasn’t staying there. The only other logical place to check was the Kiriakis Mansion. It was over the top and fit Kristen’s new mindset to a tee. Why hadn’t she thought of checking there before she left her office? There was a payphone just up the street near the docks. She would give it a try.

She remembered so vividly that day when she came back to Salem after being gone for all of those years. It was kismet, her serendipitously taking a stroll and seeing John standing there like an apparition. All of the memories began to hit her in waves.

Stopping at the docks to look at the water, Marlena took a moment to reflect and get her dialogue in order. The last thing she wanted to do was stutter and stammer when she spoke to John. She could hear her pulse racing and found herself clenching her fists, something she did when she was afraid.  What was she so afraid of? Why was she so stressed and nervous about seeing John? Clearly he was married so it was safe to assume that it would be a platonic reunion if nothing else. 

Full of confidence Marlena proceeded to the payphone. The Kiriakis Mansion was listed and easy to contact. She fished for a coin after getting the number from the operator.

Marlena dialed and felt faint with every ring. Just as she was about to hang up the phone, someone answered, “Kiriakis residence.”

Marlena froze, unsure if she wanted to go through with the call. All she had to do was find out if John was staying there, but she was afraid to speak.

“Hello? Is someone there?” asked the voice on the other end of the phone. 

“Um hi yes. I was looking for Mr. Black. Would he happen to be there by any chance?” asked Marlena suppressing a small amount of bile she could feel creeping up.  

“Mr. Black is out but I am collecting his messages. May I ask who’s calling?” asked the voice.

Marlena had a good mind to hang up. She had just confirmed that John was there and that was all that she needed to know for now. Then without thinking she replied. 

“Yes, Dr. Evans. Tell him Dr. Evans was returning his call,” said Marlena feeling a load lifting off her shoulders. “He has my home and office number.”

She had done it. Tag. He was it! She had reached out and done her part. Now it was her turn to wait and see what happened next. She had anticipated it taking longer to find him, but she had all afternoon to kill and nothing much to do. Hungry, she decided to grab a soft pretzel and head back to the docks.

Belle put her books into her locker and started to think about her family dinner tonight. It was going to be the first time she had been around Sami in weeks and the thought of what to anticipate was giving her a massive case of agita. She wasn’t afraid of Sami; she just couldn’t handle the drama. It was always something with her. 

Trying to push the negativity out of her mind, Belle turned the corner and wasn’t surprised to find Brady lurking in a corner with Marshall and his brood. Clearly she could smell pot but pretended that it didn’t faze her in the slightest and just kept walking. She had to face this guy a few more times this week and the last thing she wanted to do was make their time awkward. He was definitely a problem child and as soon as her obligations were fulfilled, she would keep her distance.  

The moment the court broke for lunch, John made a dash over to University Hospital. Hopefully, he would catch Marlena there. If memory served, she would be working through lunch while eating a salad.  He could feel his pulse start to race and his palms sweat. For some reason, he felt like he was about to ask his high school crush to the prom. Why was he so nervous? What was the big deal reuniting with an old friend? There wasn’t any harm, but the fact was, Marlena was more than an old friend. She was someone that had occupied free rent in his mind and heart for more years than he could remember. 

The entire walk to the hospital, John played whimsical fantasies in his head that she would run into his arms and pick up on where they’d left off. The thought of her kissing him put a smile on his face and he wasn’t going to apologize for feeling the way he felt. He planned to play it cool, but the moment she gave him a sign that it was ok to say how he truly felt, he was going to tell her.  He had to get it off his chest if it was the last thing he ever did. He refused to live another lifetime not knowing how she felt about him.

John entered Marlena’s lobby and was happy to see her assistant. Taking a deep breath, he noticed Marlena’s inbox was empty and wondered why she hadn’t called. It was a bad sign. Maybe she had gotten his message but had no desire to speak to him. What if she’d taken his note and tossed it in the trash? 

Just as he was about to leave, Marlena’s assistant called out to him. “Can I help you?” she asked.

“I was just passing by and I was going to see if Dr. Evans was in today,” said John, caught off guard.

“You just missed her. Her last appointment was canceled so I believe she is done for the day. Would you like to leave your name and number?” she asked.

Crestfallen that it wasn’t the moment he’d just had in his fantasy, John decided to let things be.

“No, I’ll just give her a call later. No message. Thanks,” he said as he left her office. He could still smell the muted aroma of the lavender scent she used to wear. The scent was heavenly and made his member jump. Not only was his penis starving, but his belly was too. He decided to grab a snack and head back to the courthouse. He had more time to kill so he headed off to grab a snack while pondering his next move. 

Kristen spent her entire lunch sitting with her attorney trying to figure out what to do next. Nothing was going according to plan and she was starting to lose her cool. She had put a plan B into effect but didn’t want to use it. It would require her to skip prosecution and go into hiding with her father for the rest of her life, leaving all of the work she’d put into growing K.Blake behind. Where was Stefano and why was this judge acting like he didn’t know the assignment? Perhaps he could wink or nod favorably to indicate he was on Kristen’s side; she would feel better. She hated feeling like a commoner with no control. 

Sami walked out of her job interview feeling lower than low. She completely blew her chance of landing the assistant position at the law firm. She had banked on the job, but it didn’t go in her favor. This was her last shot to prove to the world that she could make it and most importantly to get insurance to cover this much needed surgery. 

As soon as she turned the corner, she bumped into Kristen Blake. All she could think about was the fact that John Black must be right behind her. Sami was petrified with fear and began to tremble.

“Sami Brady? I just keep running into the Brady’s around every corner,” mumbled Kristen. 

Sami finally exhaled with her mouth going dry and her voice quivering. “Wow, Kristen right? Fancy running into you,” said Sami. “What brings you back to Salem?”

Kristen immediately took note to Sami’s acute reaction and was completely taken aback. It was almost like she got caught doing something she had no business doing. 

“Work stuff. K.Blake business affairs,” said Kristen.

Sami cocked her head to the side and put two and two together. “Oh my gosh, YOU are K.Blake? I feel so stupid.”

“Don’t sweat it. You were a kid when we left Salem. You an attorney now?” asked Kristen snooping for details. 

Sami was thrown by the question until she realized she was in a legal business suite. “No, I just blew a job interview with a law firm down the hall. Not enough experience they said,” scoffed Sami. “If they only knew how I evaded prosecution all the time.” 

There was something about Sami Brady that sparked potential in Kristen’s eyes. She wasn’t sure what she was sensing, but she had her eye on her. 

“Anyway, where’s John? Hopefully you guys are still happily married?” Sami asked fishing. Kristen took another mental note. 

“As a matter of fact we are indeed. We’ve weathered the storm,” said Kristen remembering Roman. “And I am so sorry about your dad. I know how close you guys were. And your poor mother. I admire her ability to move on.”

Sami was rocked by the notion of her mom seeing anyone else so soon. “Move on?” asked Sami. 

“Well yes. I ran into her yesterday and she said she was late for a date. Must have been hot and heavy the way she hurried off,” said Kristen hoping to rev Sami up. If she was reading Sami’s body language correctly, she still considered her parents together and the thought of Marlena seeing another man wasn’t going to sit well with her. 

“That’s good news for you,” said Sami pushing back just a little. The last she recalled, Kristen couldn’t wait to get John out of Salem and away from Marlena. If she only knew half the story Sami thought. Kristen had a twinge of desperation behind her eyes. When Sami was in need, she had an acute sense of smell. 

Kristen smirked and realized that although young and a little impulsive, Sami Brady wasn’t like all of the others with their bibles and boy scout badges. She was actually worth a damn. 

Sami read Kristen’s eyes and smirked back. 

“Well?” said Kristen.

“Well what?” asked Sami.

Kristen rolled her eyes and then guided Sami to a quiet corner. “When you smell desperation, pounce on it without hesitation. Now as I was saying. Well?” said Kristen hoping the penny had dropped. If Sami had half the balls that Kristen suspected, she was going to pass this test with flying colors. 

Sami smiled and nodded because her wheels started spinning. “Ah, ok. Since I’m the low man here, I’ll start. I need a job with health insurance, and I need to have my surgery covered like yesterday. A cushy gig, say $90K a year to start with bonuses, an expense account and 2 months’ vacation a year.” 

Kristen was pleasantly surprised with how fast she caught on and how clear she was with her price. “I like you,” scoffed Kristen. “Now you want all of this in exchange for?” 

“You and I both know that you don’t want John and my mom within a mile of each other. As an executive for K.Blake, I am more than sure I can keep my mother occupied long enough for you to conclude whatever business you have in Salem. I’ll run interference on my end, and you do the same on yours,” offered Sami. For the first time in a while, she felt like she had a chance to get ahead. 

Kristen thought long and hard about how she could parlay this newfound relationship to her advantage. Maybe having a pair of eyes in Salem is something that she really could use since she was sure John’s curiosity would encourage him to reach out to Marlena. She couldn’t be everywhere at once. 

“$75K a year, no expense account, 1-month vacation and yes to the insurance under one condition,” said Kristen. “No one is to know you work for K.Blake.”

Marlena finished her pretzel and decided to head home. Maybe she would drive past the Kiriakis Mansion to see if she caught a glimpse of John. How could she have been so forgetful? He was at the courthouse. She would pass by on her way home. She knew there was only a slim chance of seeing him, but even if he didn’t see her it would be worth the trip. Tossing the last part of her pretzel off the dock and into a swarm of birds, she headed off in hopes to see John.

Marlena headed up the stairs and there he was. It was John Black at the top of the stairs like an Adonis before her very eyes. She wasn’t sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or it was really him.

“Doc? Is that you?” asked John with an overwhelming since of déjà vu.

“John,” whispered Marlena barely able to speak.

They had both spent the entire day thinking about how they were going to facilitate this moment and here it was, happening by a simple twist of fate. 

John walked down the stairs toward Marlena and was immediately captivated by her beauty. She hadn’t aged a day and was prettier than in his memories. 

“I can’t believe of all the places to run into you,” said John not sure if it was ok to hug her or shake her hand so he did nothing.

“I got your note,” said Marlena. “I called and left a message for you.”

John smiled from ear to ear. This was the best moment he’d had in ages. There was so much he wanted to say. “I called and checked. We must have just missed each other. You look great Doc,” said John impulsively. He couldn’t help himself. If he never got another chance, he had to tell Marlena what was on his mind. 

The thought of being adored by him recast that old spell. The one where she got lost in his eyes and felt all dazed and confused. “You look terrific yourself,” said Marlena lost in his eyes.

They stood there staring at each other without saying a word. Both of them had tried to mentally prepare for this moment and now that it was happening, the scripts went out the window. 

Snapping back to reality, Marlena tried to control her attraction. “I ran into Kristen yesterday in town. She looks great too,” said Marlena.

The last thing John wanted to talk about was Kristen, but since it was his wife it would have been in poor taste to not acknowledge it. “Oh, she didn’t mention it,” said John still staring deep into Marlena’s soul.

They knew that standing on the stairs wasn’t going to last much longer and both had the same idea.

“Let’s go walk on the docks,” they both said simultaneously.

Laughing at the instant simpatico, John led Marlena back down the stairs and tried to collect his thoughts.

“First of all, I want to express my condolences about Roman. I sent flowers. I hope you got them,” said John without giving eye contact. He needed to make sure he’d dried the tears in his eyes before facing Marlena. 

“I did. They were lilacs and arrived on a Thursday. It was raining that day. I remember sitting on my sofa looking out of the window when the delivery guy pulled up. I’ll never forget it. It was storming and then I opened the door and saw this beautiful arrangement of lilacs and then the rain just stopped and all of a sudden the sun came out. It was strange. I knew then before reading the card that the flowers were from you,” said Marlena choking back the lump in her throat. 

John wasn’t sure if she was emotional because of Roman’s passing or because of the flowers. On a whim he decided to hug her anyway. Grabbing her tight and rubbing her back he wanted to tell her how much he’d missed her and for how sorry he was for allowing Roman to come between them, but instead he decided to just live in the moment.

Marlena knew that it wasn’t the best idea to embrace John, but it felt so good and so right. Trying not to misunderstand his kindness, she told herself he was consoling a grieving widow and there was nothing more. She tried to suppress the stirring urges she felt starting to race through her veins. Reluctantly pulling away, Marlena tried to collect herself.

“So, how long are you in Salem?” she asked trying to force small talk.

“A while,” said John.

“A while? Kristen made it seem like this was just a pit stop,” said Marlena.

John rolled his eyes in his head and realized he had a lot of work to do. He had been leaning toward having a long talk with Kristen, but seeing Marlena made it clear that time was now. 

“Kristen is being very optimistic about her legal situation,” said John.

“How’s that going?” asked Marlena.

“To be honest Doc, I don’t want to talk about Kristen. I want to talk about us,” said John. “I have missed you and thought about this moment a million times and now I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Well I left you a few messages and then followed up with a letter. You never responded so I figured you didn’t want anything to do with me,” said Marlena.

John stopped in his tracks. “I got the letter from you. I replied a few times. As a matter of fact I wasn’t sure you were receiving my letters until I got a call from Roman,” said John.

Marlena froze in her tracks. “What do you mean you got a call from Roman?” asked Marlena.

“I got your letter and I replied. You’d expressed your regret of letting me go but you knew it was the right choice for your family,” said John.

“I remember that letter. It had tear stains because I remember sobbing uncontrollably while I was writing it,” recalled Marlena.

“I responded to that letter and happened to mention our affair and how I didn’t regret it,” said John.

“Oh my gosh no! Roman intercepted your letter and never told me? He knew about us all this time and never told me?” asked Marlena sickened with the duplicity. 

“He called me Doc. He called me and told me that he promised to do right by you as long as I stayed away and out of your life,” said John.

Marlena looked at him with pain in her eyes. “And you agreed to that? After all that I said in my letter to you?” she said beginning to cry.

She wasn’t sure if it was fury or sadness. Maybe it was both.

“Doc, he said if I contacted you again, he was going to divorce you, expose the affair and tie you up in court and take the kids,” said John. “You had just had Belle. Sami was going crazy and you were fighting to get Eric to come back home. I thought me sticking around was just going to make things worse.”

Marlena sat on a nearest park bench because she thought she was about to pass out. She knew Roman had bitch ass tendencies, but she never thought it was on this level. For a brief moment, she wanted to revive him just for the pleasure of killing him again.

“Then Kristen was pregnant and had a miscarriage, a couple of times and then life got in the way. The more time that passed, the harder it was for me to reach out,” said John. 

There was so much to unpack here. Marlena thought their reunion would be light and carefree. A nice stroll down memory lane. Never in a million years did she think she would have more luggage to unpack. She hated Roman Brady and the thought of having a memorial dinner for him tonight was enough to make her sick.

“I need to go,” said Marlena. As much as she wanted to be with John at this moment, she needed answers more. 

“Doc, when can I see you again? There is so much more we need to talk about,” said John rubbing the side of her face. Seeing her cry was breaking his heart. He just wanted to kiss her and make it all go away, but he exercised restraint. She was very emotional, and he was for all intents and purposes a married man. 

“Can I call you? Please Doc,” whispered John.

She wanted to talk to John more, but she needed to get home and search through some of Roman’s belongings. Maybe there was a collection of more of his dastardly deeds. 

“I need to get home, but yes. We need to finish this. Just not now,” said Marlena. 

So much for the fairytale reunion. So much for letting her son of a bitch husband rest in peace. And depending on what she found when she got home, so much for a memorial dinner for a bastard named Roman Brady. 

Day 2- Evening

Belle was finally finished with her school day and couldn’t wait to get home. She was actually looking forward to spending time with her family and exchanging fond memories of her dad. After putting her books away, she was approached by Brady of all people.

“Hey Girl Scout, where should we meet in the morning?” asked Brady.

Belle wasn’t sure if she should correct him for calling her anything but Belle or just let it ride.

“Hey Rebel. In front of the counselor’s office works or not. It’s up to you,” said Belle trying to play it cool.

Brady wasn’t sure why he’d decided to strike up a conversation. The truth was, she was  very nice to him and seemed to be really easy going. She didn’t seem too caught up into herself like most of the girls he’d hung out with.

“Rebel huh? I kind of like that,” said Brady cracking a smile. “In front of the counselor’s office works. I’ll meet you there after first period,” replied Brady.

Belle just sized him up for a second. “It will get easier,” she said.

Gesturing to walk while talking Brady engaged more. “What do you mean?” asked Brady.

“Just whatever you are going through,” said Belle trying to not be specific.

“What makes you think I’m going through something,” said Brady, sounding a bit defensive.

“You are new in school. Transitions are hard. Relax, I didn’t mean anything by it,” said Belle standing up for herself. “You don’t have to be a hard ass with me.”

Brady just stood there as she continued to walk.  Taking in what she had just said, he smiled and decided to continue walking with her. They walked almost a block in complete silence. Brady wasn’t much for small talk and Belle wasn’t going to push. As they approached a fork in the road Belle turned to him.

“I’m just up the road so I’ll catch you in the morning?” she asked. “I should have my license soon. This walking thing is getting old.”

Brady stood at the corner not really knowing what his next move was and then decided to follow Belle. “I’m going this way too,” said Brady searching for more to talk about. “I was thinking we should exchange numbers in case one of us can’t meet up in the morning. I would hate to be standing around waiting when you are home sick.”

Belle just smiled. It was good to see this side of Brady Black. Sure, he still was a little rough around the edges, but she was warming up to him.

“I’m listed,” said Belle. “Dr. Marlena Evans.”

“Huh?” asked Brady.

“Dude, my number is listed under  Dr. Marlena Evans. That’s my mom,” said Belle.

She wasn’t sure if Brady was playing dumb or the pot was starting to fry his brain. Either way, she liked being around him and could see a wealth of possibilities if he continued to be this approachable. 

Marlena rushed into the house with one thing on her mind; to rummage through Roman’s personal effects. So much of her life had been a mystery and she wasn’t about to let it happen again. She went to the closet just behind the front door and pulled out an old file box that had been sent from his office. Marlena never thought to sift through Roman’s old work files.

Dumping the contents of the box in the middle of the floor, Marlena began to go through a collection of photos, business cards, desk plaques and pizza receipts, some of them with grease stains. Marlena wasn’t unhappy with Roman, she just wasn’t happy. She didn’t light up when he walked into a room. She didn’t read his mind when she was near him. 

Those were the attributes of John Black. When he walked into a room, her pulse raced before she even knew he was near. When he touched her no matter how slight, her body would quiver. The way the hair on his chest tickled the side of her face. The way the sweat from his forehead dripped down her chest after making love all night. 

Marlena definitely felt that same surge of electricity today on the docks and she was certain John felt it too. But now, Marlena’s focus was on finding those letters and what really happened all those years ago. Marlena got to the bottom of the box and didn’t find anything extraordinary. The only thing that got her attention was a book about how to play poker. 

Just when she was about to give up, something told her to fan the pages of the book. When she did, letters addressed to her from John fell out of the book onto the floor. This was the second time today Marlena had written words from John that she was afraid to read. Shaking the book and inspecting the spine, Marlena checked for additional hidden treasures. When nothing else fell from the book, Marlena grabbed her letters just as Belle walked in the door.

“Hey mom. What are you doing?” asked Belle.

“Hi honey,” said Marlena trying to maintain her composure. She was visibly shaken because her life was starting to unravel, and she was on the verge of learning the truth and it frightened her. 

Belle noticed that the contents all over the floor belonged to her father and knelt down to put them back in the box.

“Mom, you didn’t have to go through dad’s things if it was going to trigger you. His memorial dinner was meant to be happy. To talk about the fun times and stuff. Please don’t cry,” said Belle.

Marlena had the most compassionate child in the world. Here she was cursing her father to hell while Belle was thinking the best of her. 

“I’m fine honey. I just need a minute. I’ll be upstairs,” said Marlena. She needed to read these letters before she even considered having a memorial dinner for Roman.

“Ok mom, sure. I do want to be able to check on you in an hour,” said Belle.

Marlena nodded. They had created an emotional buddy system over the years. Living in a house with Sami and Roman under one roof could be a lot at times, but they leaned on each other. Perhaps that is why they were so close. Belle had an easy spirit that Marlena could read effortlessly. She could feel her energy…just like John. 

Marlena hurried to her room and closed the door behind her. She looked at the two envelopes and they were addressed to her and opened. According to the date on the post mark, John had responded right away and paid for next day air. Marlena tried to recall what she was doing during that time. She thought back and realized it was around spring when she sent John a letter so it must have been during the conference season. 

She opened the first letter and began to read his response.

Doc,

I was so happy to receive a letter from you. We have been moving around Europe so much  that I rarely have a dedicated number where I get my messages in a timely manner, luckily my mailbox remains the same. 

I am sorry to read how miserable you are. I could tell from the teardrops on the paper. I’m glad that you sent it that way. It made me feel like I had a part of you still with me. I never should have let you go in the first place. 

You made the right choice for your family. The paternity test proved Roman was the father and that’s the way it should have been. I will always be here for you and I will always love you. If I don’t hear from you after this, I will take that as a sign that you want to be left alone. 

-JB

Marlena read the letter at least three times before she moved on to the next. Roman knew the entire time that not only had she and John had an affair, but that there was a possibility that Belle wasn’t his child. She knew that she had been deceptive and would regret her betrayal for the rest of her life, but looking back; Roman’s mission was to punish her. He didn’t stay because he loved her and wanted to keep his family together. He wanted to watch her work extra hard to make up for her sins and he sat there for all those years and never said a word. What a coward she thought. Roman Brady hated her more than he loved himself enough to walk away. 

Marlena read the next letter while seething inside. She was feeling so many emotions. There was this elation that John was still willing to be a part of her life all those years ago and a ball of rage because Roman deceptively took that choice away from her.

Doc,

I know I said if I didn’t hear back from you, I would leave you alone to be with your family. I just wanted to give it one last try before I move on. It’s not too late. It would be hard, but we could really give it a shot. Just say the word.

-JB

And there it was. Her punishment in absentia. Damn Roman Brady! What a chump she thought. 

John, Brady and Kristen sat at the table in complete silence while eating dinner. Brady had gotten used to meals like these if Kristen was even at the table. She was clearly putting on the attentive wife act. To be honest, she seemed more clingy than usual.  Back home, Kristen had something going on every night now she was demanding normal things like meals and conversation.

“So Brady, how was your first day of class?” asked Kristen nodding at John for forgetting to ask first.

“Yeah son. I was going to ask after dessert. I know the sugar would have kept you up long enough to tell us,” said John with the typical bad dad joke.

“I mean it was cool,” said Brady, not interested in talking.

“Did you make any friends?” asked Kristen.

“Nope,” said Brady

“So you just stood around not talking to anyone all day like you do around here?” snapped Kristen losing her cool. She took a breath and tried to compose herself. She had to get out of Salem. She was already starting to unravel. 

“I’m sorry. It’s the trial. Brady, it’s me. How about we go into town tomorrow if we get out of court early. A little shopping, maybe check out the mall,” offered Kristen.

John knew when to jump in and save Brady from Kristen trying so hard. “We all need to actually reach out to family and friends while we are in Salem. I mean we haven’t been to the pub. I’d love to see Bo and Hope,” said John.

“You are right honey. I haven’t seen a soul since we’ve been here,” said Kristen. 

John just listened to a lie roll effortlessly off Kristen’s tongue. The pheromones of her jezebel spirit were really starting to wear thin. It was like the moment he felt Marlena’s pulse through their embrace, a spell was broken. He felt more alive than he had in ages and he had such clarity. He was not happy and he wasn’t going to spend the rest of his life living a lie.

“When would you have seen anyone honey? You’ve been to court and your attorney’s offices since we’ve been here. Who would you have run into there?” said John sipping his wine. “But I did run into someone today and it affects all of us at this table.”

Kristen looked at John with bated breath. She wasn’t sure what John was about to say.

“I ran into Bob. Bob Smith,” said John, yanking Kristen’s chain. 

Kristen exhaled. “Who is Bob Smith?” she asked.

“The dealer from the car place. You know with the commercial when the guy gets out of the trunk?” says John as he starts to crack himself up. “Well anyway, I was thinking of taking you down there son to look at a few trucks.”

Brady’s expression went from gloom to glee. “Are you serious?” asked Brady trying to suppress a smile.

Kristen’s face dropped. This was not part of her plan. She wasn’t going to let John keep Brady in Salem. That would give him an excuse to be in Salem with Marlena and she was not about to let that happen. 

“Honey, shouldn’t we have talked about this?” asked Kristen.

“We are talking about it right now,” said John. “Here’s the deal, I told him if he gave you a part time job working on some engines, I would buy a truck from him for myself. If you keep your job and good grades for 6 months, I’ll get you one too.” 

Brady was over the moon. He smiled from ear to ear and actually hugged his father. John couldn’t remember the last time his son had embraced him naturally. Usually John was the one to initiate hugs and handshakes. That was two life altering hugs in one day. John Black was on a roll. He liked the idea of feeling good and he intended to get used to it. 

Kristen sat in her chair seething. She was not accustomed to John making a unilateral decision without running it by her, besides she wanted to be the one to bribe Brady with a car. She didn’t like being one upped, even by her own husband.

“So, how was the place?” asked Kristen with a side eye.

“Place?” asked John. Remembering his alibi he quickly recovered, “You mean the property? I liked it. The realtor gave me the keys. I said I wanted to bring you by and let you have the final word.”

John tossed the keys on the table and fished a brochure out of his pocket. Kristen grabbed the brochure and read the specs. Suddenly her face went from suspicious to pleasantly surprised. Maybe John really did consider her thoughts. Maybe he was telling the truth after all. She had to relax about Marlena Evans. Just the thought of that woman was making her lose her edge. She was definitely going to  have to give Sami her assignments first thing in the morning.

Belle knocked on her mother’s bedroom door in hopes to find her feeling better. In a way she was because she was sound asleep. Belle immediately called Carrie, something she always did when she needed advice about mom.

“Carrie, mom had a meltdown about dad. I just went to check on her and she’s asleep. What should we do about the dinner?” asked Belle.

Carrie always had a level head and she enjoyed being around Belle. Sadly she had already moved out before Belle was born. 

“I am swamped at work and was going to be late anyway. I remember dad everyday. It doesn’t have to be on the exact date for me,” said Carrie. “Eric will do whatever I tell him to so we just need to find out how Sami feels.”

 There was dead silence on the phone. Belle wasn’t going to call Samantha nor was Carrie.

“I have an idea, let’s have Eric call Sami?” said Belle. “He’s known her the longest. They were womb mates.”

Carrie laughed at her kid sister and found her innocence refreshing. It was the relationship she wished she’d had with Sami. Instead, she got a younger sister hell bent on seducing her husband and lying every time she opened her mouth. She loved her sister and since moving out of Salem, they were building, but it took a lot of effort. 

Brady was feeling really good about the good news. He was promised a new car and no one to share the good news with. For a fleeting moment, he’d thought about Belle. He enjoyed walking home from school with her today. She was easy to talk to and made him feel less vulnerable just being himself. She was right, he didn’t have to be a hard ass all of the time. He thought for a moment and decided to help himself to his grandfather’s study. It was decorated with dark woods and very drab for his personal taste. He sat at his desk and called information to get Belle’s home number. 

Staring at the phone number for a few moments, he pondered giving her a call. Was it too late? Would she feel weirded out if he called? What if her parents didn’t allow boys to call? They were only friends, weren’t they? Maybe acquaintances? He decided to muster up the same courage he had earlier today when he struck up a conversation.

Dialing the phone number, Brady let the phone ring once and then hung up. For some reason he panicked and had second thoughts. He could tell Belle about the truck tomorrow. It would give them something to talk about on the walk home. They did walk in silence for a full block. Mentioning his new truck could be a great segue. 

He thought about it a little longer and really wanted someone to talk to. He would time it to 5 minutes exactly. That way, he could keep it light without it getting awkward. He dialed the phone again and let it ring about 4 times before he hung up again. Maybe they were also having dinner. Belle did seem like the type of girl raised with a family that sat at a chaotic table with all sorts of food that her mom cooked, everyone cross talking about their day.

Tomorrow would be better so he was firm that he wasn’t calling the Brady house that night.

Marlena jumped from the sound of a ringing phone. It had rung back to back and gotten her attention. On the second ring she answered, but it was too late. She had a good mind to use that new call return feature. She had just gotten it and decided to give it a go.

The phone rang a few times and just when she was about to give up, the strangest thing happened. John Black answered the other end of the line. 

“Hello?” asked Marlena. “Someone just called me.”

“Doc? Is that you?” said John pleasantly surprised. He never thought in a million years he’d hear from her so soon.

“John? Why did you hang up?” asked Marlena.

“I didn’t hang up. You called me,” said John thinking she was being lighthearted.

Marlena was slightly confused. She was asleep and heard the phone ring twice. She was certain she wasn’t imagining things.

“Well this is an awkward situation,” said Marlena, happy to hear John’s voice. 

She had cried herself to sleep just an hour ago and now she didn’t have a care in the world. 

“It doesn’t have to be awkward, Doc. It’s still me,” whispered John. 

John held the phone close like it was his last connection to Marlena. He could feel her pull even through the phone. 

“Oh John,” whispered Marlena. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know anything anymore. I found your letters.”

John could only imagine how cheated Marlena felt learning the truth. To know that all this time had been wasted when they could have explored the possibility of remaining friends if not more. 

“That’s why I need to see you. We need to talk,” said John, making sure Kristen didn’t turn the corner. “Doc, I can come to your place right now.”

“No!” exclaimed Marlena.  “No. Not here.” 

“Then your office. We can meet at your office,” said John.

Marlena could hear the desperation in his voice. She wanted so much to speak to him too, but things were more complicated. He was married and she could feel that the attraction between them was stronger than ever. 

“John, I don’t know. We’ve been down this road before. The damage we’ve done…,” said Marlena. 

“I just want to talk, Doc. I just want to catch up and share some things with you. I promise, nothing will happen that you don’t want to happen,” said John. “Please.”

Marlena wanted to accept his invitation more than anything, but there was no way she was ever going to allow herself to make the same mistakes from before.

“Ok, I’ll meet you at my office tomorrow,” said Marlena.

“Tonight!,” exclaimed John.

Marlena was torn. She wanted more than anything to be in John’s company and while she was confident that John would be a perfect gentleman, she wasn’t so sure she could remain a lady.

“I was supposed to have dinner with the kids tonight at the pub. In light of what I’ve learned, the last thing I feel like doing is celebrating the life of someone I could literally kill right now,” said Marlena as she felt herself getting riled up all over again.  “Fine. 9 P.M.”

Just as she gave the time, Kristen walked into the room and noticed John on the phone which immediately made him change his tone and posture.

“Thank you so much for letting me know. So I will see you then,” said John. 

“John, maybe we shouldn’t meet…,” said Marlena, having a change of heart after hearing Kristen’s voice. 

“We are totally fine. So we are confirmed. I’ll see you then,” said John abruptly and then disconnected the call. 

Marlena just held the phone thinking of what to do. She didn’t want to celebrate Roman and she didn’t trust herself being alone with John. This week went from zero to sixty in no time flat.

Marlena looked over to her nightstand and saw her letters from John. She had a good mind to seduce John in Roman’s bed just to spite him. Damn you Roman Brady. Damn you to hell. 

John hung up the phone and scribbled something on a notepad when he noticed Kristen standing in the doorway.

“Who was that?” asked Kristen. 

John tried to maintain a calm demeanor although his heart was racing a million beats per second. He was so close to telling Marlena all of the things he needed her to know. He knew to never underestimate the intuition of Kristen Blake. She could smell a person’s happiness from a mile away, especially if her mission was to snatch it.  

“Ah, another realtor. I was able to find a spot with even more closet space in the same building,” said John. “I just scheduled a tour. Nothing major.”

Kristen bought the real estate excuse before, but John seemed more alert and motivated. He almost looked happy.

“Great! When do we see it?” asked Kristen.

“Tomorrow afternoon,” said John. He’d learn to always have an answer with a sliver of evidence when it came to Kristen. Duplicitous people always had trust issues. The irony. 

Kissing her on the forehead, John left the room to collect himself in private. He could only maintain his coolness for so long. Tonight was the night he had been dreaming about for years and nothing was going to stand in his way. He didn’t like lying to Kristen, but it was the only way he could have a conversation with Marlena without the reunion being sabotaged. 

After John left the room, Kristen looked at the phone and unplugged it from the wall. She also took a look at the notepad. There was nothing helpful. Just the name Channing and 12:00.  The moment she got a chance, she was going to hit redial and confirm what had put a pep in John’s step. 

Belle had decided that warming up leftover pizza was the way to go. Dinner was canceled and her mom was resting. Being able to veg and watch trash tv to know what all of the kids were talking about was going to be a treat. 

Just as Belle began to get cozy on the sofa, Sami let herself in using her key.  She was determined to keep her cool if she was going to have to spend more time around the house. It was essential to being able to fulfill her new job requirements.

“Hey Belle, what’s up? Is mom ok? I got the call from Eric and came right over,” said Sami looking around the room.

Belle, while pensive, was delighted to see her big sister in a positive mood. “I saw her looking at some of daddy’s things. I guess it choked her up. Last I checked, she was napping,” said Belle.

Sami grabbed a slice of pizza off Belle’s plate and sat beside her like they were old friends. 

“How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a bit,” said Sami, flicking the channels on the tv.

Although very suspicious, Belle played along. “I’ve been really good.  Things are slowing down at school so I am just vegging for the first time in ages. I’m about to watch a few shows my friends have been telling me are good,” said Belle.

Sami could care less about Belle or the mundane details of her day. She was determined to turn over a new leaf and become more likable overall, but it was going to take more than mind over matter for her to accept her baby sister for the simple fact that Belle harbored a secret to one of the last vile things Sami had done and planned to take to her grave. 

“How’s school going? I remember my sophomore year being so hard,” said Sami.

“It’s not that bad actually. I got great news from Mr. Stewart this week. He’s allowing me to be an ambassador for this new kid in lieu of 4 hours of tutoring, so I am so stoked about that,” said Belle taking another bite of her pizza.

“That’s cool. I am sure that’s a cake walk for you being super friendly,” said Sami.

“It was kinda shaky at first. I had to show this guy around. He’s a senior. He came off as this deep and mysterious guy with a chip on his shoulder but after a while, he loosened up. He’s actually pretty cool,” said Belle innocently. 

“Really? A senior? Mom is not going to let you date a senior,” said Sami, remembering trying to date a college guy back in her day. Marlena had put a kibosh on that. 

“He’s just a guy at school. I barely know anything about him. The funny thing is, his first name is our last name. How crazy is that?” asked Belle.

Sami took in what her baby sister had just said and immediately got agitated.

“What’s his name?” asked Sami with bated breath.

“His name is Brady. Brady Black,” replied Belle.

Sami could feel her stomach drop to the floor. The last thing she needed was Belle getting close to anyone in the Black Family, especially Brady. If they became close…my gosh she didn’t want to even think about it.

“Belle, I know about him. Stay away from him,” urged Sami.

Belle wrinkled her nose and gave her sister’s suggestion some thought. They had never been close so the fact that she was offering sisterly advice all of a sudden was odd. 

“What could you possibly know about a 17-year-old guy from England?” asked Belle somewhat defensively. 

Sami stood up so that her circulation could flow better to feed a new web of lies. 

“I know a little about the family, and they just come from a long line of drama that you don’t want to get involved in. Trust me,” said Sami trying to sound convincing. 

Belle was happy to not be in a heated discussion with Sami for once, but she wasn’t about to start taking orders from her.

“Well I think he’s cool. If he starts to show signs of something sinister, I’ll make my decision then,” said Belle being dismissive.

Belle walked over to the table to grab another slice of pizza when Sami approached her aggressively. Her old temperament was starting to reemerge.  

“I’m serious, Belle. Please stay away from him at all costs. Am I clear?” said Sami in a threatening tone. 

Belle was used to her sister inserting herself into all sorts of things, but she’d never taken interest in anything about her before so why the sudden interest now? 

“Thanks sis. I’ll keep that in mind,” said Belle curtly. 

Sami heard the tone in Belle’s voice. She wasn’t accustomed to her baby sister speaking with such bravado.  Clearly she was going to have to be a little more aggressive to get her point across. Getting directly into Belle’s face, Sami repeated herself once more with intensity. Her crystal blue eyes giving away her tell.

“What are you up to now Sami?” asked Belle suspiciously. 

“I’m not up to anything. I’m just trying to prevent you from getting involved in a sea of trouble. Besides, it almost seems… incestuous dating someone with the same name. It’s creepy and gross and I want you to stay away from him! Got it?” demanded Sami.

Sami shoved Belle’s shoulder and a small scuffle ensued. Before long, Belle had managed to pin Sami down on the table, knocking the box of pizza onto the floor. 

Marlena heard the commotion and came running down the stairs. “What in the hell is going on here?” demanded Marlena after pulling Belle off of Sami.

“Thank you! Your crazy child had me pinned to the table. What is this? The Titan board room?” quipped Sami.

Marlena heard the comment but didn’t give it much thought. She was more concerned about her daughters having a physical altercation.  “You both know I don’t condone violence of any kind. We use our words, not our hands!” said Marlena. “Belle, you know better. Why would you attack your sister?”

Belle was completely thrown, being considered the aggressor. This entire situation was Sami’s fault. She watched her grown and yet childish big sister sneer with delight finally not being labeled the problem.

“I’ll give you this one Samantha, but let’s make something very clear. I don’t take direction from you. I never have and I never will. The next time you put your hands on me, it will be the last thing you do. Mark my words!” fired Belle. 

She had never been this angry before. Nor had she ever had the courage to stand up to Sami. She had finally stood up for herself and it felt great.

“Belle!” exclaimed Marlena. “What has gotten into you?”

Belle didn’t answer her mother. She just grabbed the slices of pizza off the floor and put them back in the box. “I’m going to my room. I’ve lost my appetite. Good night mom,” said Belle as she gave Sami an evil side eye and ran up the stairs.

Marlena looked at Sami knowing all too well that there was much more to this story that she didn’t know. It had been a very emotional day and she didn’t have the energy for this on top of everything else. 

“What was that?” asked Marlena.

Sami reverted to acting coy. The last thing she wanted to do was lose her mother’s support. 

“Mom, she must have PMS. We were just talking about random stuff and all of a sudden,  she let off on me,” said Sami shrugging. 

While Marlena knew all too well that there was much more to this story, she knew in due time she would find out. 

“Hi honey. What brings you by?” asked Marlena. 

“Well Eric called to tell me that dinner was canceled because you weren’t up to it so I stopped by to check on you. Then your feral daughter attacked me,” said Sami.

“Oh, dear. Belle must have thought…nevermind. Yes, it has been a pretty emotional day. For all of us. I am sure your sister is going through the motions too. We all are,” added Marlena.

“Whatever,” said Sami. “So what happened with you today? Is everything ok?” 

Marlena was seething inside and there was no one to talk to about this. The last thing she would ever do is disparage Roman to his own children. Not even she was that low. She was grateful that she didn’t have to sit through a memorial dinner. There was not one fond memory about Roman Brady that Marlena could conjure up.

John had decided to work out after dinner. It was something he did when he had big decisions to make. He was meeting Marlena tonight and he wasn’t sure how to go about it. He had every intention of respecting her boundaries, but his biggest problem was Kristen. He was certain more than ever that he wanted out of this marriage whether he ended up with Marlena or not. 

He’d been in Salem for all of 2 days and the moment he’d gotten to town, things began to fall into place. For starters, he felt alive again. The Salem air and friendly faces had given him a resurgence of vitality that had gone dormant while he was abroad. He didn’t even recognize himself anymore.

Kristen walked into the gym as John pumped iron while studying his own reflection in the mirror.  She was on her 3rd martini and had finally mustered up the courage to talk and share what was on her mind. 

“John, we need to talk,” said Kristen. 

“About what?” he replied.

“Salem. You are behaving like we are going to be living here permanently and this isn’t what we discussed before leaving England,” said Kristen. 

John switched to a higher weight and proceeded to do bench presses. “I didn’t plan on Salem having this kind of effect on us. Brady smiled today. When was the last time you saw him smile?” asked John. “I just know that this jet set life is not for me.”

Kristen finished her martini and thought about her response carefully. 

“I know that I haven’t been around much. I realize that you’ve taken a back seat to K.Blake and I appreciate that more than you will ever know,” said Kristen flirtatiously.

John had heard it all before and was close to checking out. He had dealt with a lot of mishegoss over the years and was completely over it.  He completed one more repetition and then sat up and looked at Kristen plainly while toweling off.

“Kristen, I want you to be happy. I want K.Blake to be the best brand in the world. I want you to beat these charges,” said John.

Kristen could sense where John was heading. They’d had these conversations at least once a year for the last 5 years and she was always able to convince him to stick and stay. Hopefully, she could rationalize with him again this time. Salem had become more trouble than it was worth. To secure her freedom, she had to risk her marriage.

“Honey, I know you are worried about Brady and I know this trial has been taxing, but we are almost there,” said Kristen. She was on the verge of telling John the whole truth. Maybe it would help her. Maybe it wouldn’t. 

“Kristen it’s not just Brady or the trial. I am not happy,” said John. He wanted to be as transparent as possible.

Kristen had heard it all before.  The truth was, John wasn’t happy because Marlena chose Roman over him. Now they were back in Salem and he was feeling this pull to try and revisit the past. She wasn’t about to let that happen. She needed to start running interference now if she was going to save her marriage. She needed to talk to Sami right away.  She needed Marlena away from John until she could get this trial over and done with. 

“I am not giving up on us. I am willing to do whatever it takes. I know I’m not perfect and I can be a bit much at times, but I mean well,” said Kristen. If nothing else, she always knew to play the self-deprecating card as one of her many manipulation tactics. 

“I know you do, but this isn’t working for me,” said John.

Kristen could feel a ball of rage begin to stir deep within her gut. This was the last curveball she needed right now. 

“John, you promised that we would never end in divorce. Are you saying you are going back on that promise?” asked Kristen. 

John stood up and kissed her forehead. “Kristen, I promise you that we will not end in divorce. You have my word,” said John and walked out the gym.

Kristen stood looking at her reflection in the mirror and thought about what John had just said. If he wasn’t going to divorce her, that means she had a chance in hell right? She didn’t know anymore, but she had to get more control over the situation. Maybe while having her father lean on the judge presiding over her case, he could also help Marlena get out of her way. Just until the trial was over.  Salem was not big enough for the both of them. Maybe there was a gilded cage for her somewhere.

After having an internal tantrum, Kristen made her way to the phone that she unplugged earlier. She plugged the phone back into the wall and proceeded to use call return.  With bated breath, Kristen let the phone ring several times before someone answered.

Day 2- Late Evening

Marlena stood in her closet trying to decide what to wear. In the back of her mind, she knew that meeting with John in the privacy of her office was risky, but she desperately wanted to see him. Would she be able to trust herself around him? Could they engage in deep conversation without crossing the line? The fear of making the same mistake twice haunted her. John was now the married person and she wasn’t so sure she had the strength to help him keep his vows.

For a fleeting moment, she began to have second thoughts when she heard the phone ring. Maybe it was John calling to cancel? Maybe she was working herself up for nothing. 

“Hello?” said Marlena.

The other end of the phone remained silent. What was with this phone today? 

“Hello? Is someone there?” asked Marlena. After a second longer, she hung up the phone. It was late and she didn’t have the energy. 

Deciding on a quick and easy cotton dress, Marlena gave herself a last look and headed down the hall stopping at Belle’s bedroom door. She had to acknowledge the episode between her and Sami. It was so unlike Belle, although she could say the same about herself these days.

Marlena tapped softly on the door and waited to be invited in.

“It’s open,” yelled Belle from the other side of the door.

Marlena stuck her head in cautiously. “Is it safe?” she asked lightheartedly. 

Belle smiled because she knew all too well that she was going to have to explain her behavior. She didn’t have all of the answers but she had been preparing for this conversation for the last 45 minutes. 

“It’s safe mom. So long as Sami isn’t with you,” said Belle hugging a tattered teddy bear. 

Marlena smiled and let herself in, taking a seat on the edge of Belle’s bed. “Are you ok honey? I am concerned about you,” said Marlena with love and concern in her eyes. “We’ve all been trying to handle losing your daddy the best way we can, but I’ve never seen you behave this way. Talk to me.”

Belle would own that her behavior tonight was out of character. She had never allowed her fights with Sami to become physical and after having a moment to reflect, she wished she’d handled it differently.

“Mom, I am so sorry. It’s just that Sami gets to me. She really gets to me,” explained Belle.

“I know honey and I’ll talk to her,” said Marlena.

“Talking to Sami isn’t going to help. She’s certifiable!” said Belled getting riled up all over again.

“What exactly happened?” asked Marlena.

“She showed up acting all nice and sisterly, which was suspicious in itself, but then she started telling me who I could and couldn’t hang out with. It was so weird,” said Belle. “I was cool with it but then she got really bossy about it and shoved me. That’s when I lost it.” 

Now Marlena was going to have to smooth this out. She’d gotten plenty of practice with Sami and Carrie. She never thought in a million years that she would have to run the same interference with Sami and Belle. 

“Sami has a problem with your friends?” asked Marlena.

“She went ballistic when I told her I was friends with this new kid named Brady. She went on about how they weren’t good people to be around and all of this drama,” said Belle. “He’s a really nice guy. Just misunderstood. 

Marlena was shocked to learn that Belle had become acquainted with Brady Black. They would be around the same age now that she thought about it. She smiled when she recalled the fond memories of bonding with him as a baby. While only for a short while, Marlena held a special place for him in her heart.

“I know Brady Black and his family. There is a long history there that you may not be aware of,” said Marlena. She wasn’t prepared to break down the entire story, but it was time to bring Belle up to speed. 

“Well what’s the deal?” asked Belle full of curiosity. 

Marlena looked at her watch and realized if she was going to meet with John, she needed to leave now. 

“The Black’s and the Brady’s go way back honey. Brady’s name isn’t Brady by coincidence. For a long while, we thought Brady’s dad was your dad,” began Marlena.  

“I don’t understand,” said Belle.

“Sweetie, it’s very complicated and I promise I will fill you in on the details, but I have to make a run. Will you be ok for a few minutes?” asked Marlena standing up.

“I’ll be fine, but I am dying to learn the link between the Black’s and the Brady’s. Where are you going so late?” asked Belle. 

Marlena didn’t want to lie. She’d had enough of that for today. 

“I’m going to my office to go over something that’s bugging me. I won’t be late. Lock up and I’ll come see you when I get home,” said Marlena as she kissed her baby girl goodnight. 

Now she was going to have to bring Belle up to speed on a long and sordid past that she never thought she’d have to revisit. This was turning into the longest day in history.

John walked down the hall and caught Brady lurking around the corner. He’d listened outside the door earlier when eavesdropping on the conversation between his dad and Kristen.  He was so glad to hear that his dad was making changes with his best interest at heart.

“Hey son, I’m about to make a run. I need some air. I need to figure some things out,” said John. “I love you son, you know that don’t you?”

Brady knew his dad loved him, but it wasn’t until tonight when he felt like his father truly cared. Hearing John stand up to Kristen gave Brady a new level of respect for his dad.  He’d never been fond of Kristen and if his dad wanted to give her the boot, he would be more than happy to help.

“I love you too dad,” said Brady. “What should I tell Kristen?” 

John didn’t really care. He’d stressed all night about how he was going to justify leaving the house this late with no explanation. If Kristen asked, he’d crossed that bridge when he got to it. He had no idea what to expect from his chat with Doc tonight.

“Tell her the truth, son. Tell her that I went out for air and that’s all that you know,” said John.

Brady knew something was brewing in his family, but he wasn’t sure what. He really needed a friend right now and started feeling the urge to call Belle again. Maybe this time he would have enough courage to go through with the call. 

Just as Kristen had suspected, John had made contact with Marlena. She knew it would only be a matter of time. What she needed to focus on was controlling the narrative when they engaged.  The last thing she was about to let happen was a reunion right underneath her nose. She was certain that John planned to meet up with Marlena tomorrow at noon. The notepad indicated as much. She’d find a way to thwart that plan, but for now, she had bigger fish to fry.  

Grabbing the phone, she decided to call her new employee Sami, and share her first assignment, “Sami, we need to meet. There seems to be a little problem I’ll need your help with,” said Kristen.

“You have no idea,” said Sami. 

Sami had no intention of sharing with Kristen why she had such a vested interest in keeping the Brady’s and the Black’s from commingling. All of these years, she thought she’d gotten away with the dastardly deed of swapping the paternity test results during her tumultuous adolescence.  That fateful night she’d seen her mother in the arms of John Black in the Titan board room. It was a sight indelibly etched in her mind.

She knew that Belle was not a Brady and was proud of herself for making the choice to save her family. But for her actions, her family would have fallen apart. She felt she’d made the ultimate sacrifice to keep them together. 

Roman would have been so proud of her. She missed her father more than anything and could really use his support right now. Never in a million years did she think she would have to move heaven and earth again to protect her secret. No one could ever know what she’d done. 

“We need to meet,” said Kristen. “Can you meet me at the coffee shop on 3rd?”

“Now?” asked Sami not feeling like leaving home at this hour.

“Yes now!” said Kristen losing her cool.

She had to figure out how to get out of the house this late without John asking questions. She couldn’t focus on that at the moment. She needed to focus on keeping John and Marlena apart. She contemplated going upstairs to tell John she’d return shortly, but they had already had a tense conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was rock the boat.

Just as Kristen hung up the phone, she grabbed her keys and left. 

Brady had just heard her entire call. Who was she meeting this late? Clearly she and his dad had plans that didn’t include each other and he found himself curious about what was going on. He thought long and hard about what to do and immediately called Belle only this time, he had no intention of hanging up.

“Hello?” answered Belle.

Brady felt a lump in his throat, but he didn’t have enough time to chicken out. 

“Hey Girl Scout. It’s Rebel,” said Brady.

Belle was happy to hear from him. It was a strange night and she needed a friend.

“Hey Rebel. What’s up?” she asked in her chipper voice. “I am so glad you called me.”

Brady clearly had hyped himself up for no reason. Belle didn’t sound like she was put out at all that he was calling her. He’d expected their call to be awkward, but it was just the opposite. 

“You are?” asked Brady, shocked that she’d been thinking about him. 

“It’s been such a weird night. I got into it with my sister. Mom was crying. It’s just been a mess. Anyway, what’s up?” asked Belle.

“I need your help. Do you know where the coffee shop is on 3rd?” asked Brady. 

“Yeah, why?” she asked.

“I need you to ride with me. I need to see something,” said Brady.

Belle sat up in her bed. As if this day couldn’t get any weirder. She looked at the clock and noticed the time.

“Dude, it’s 8:45 at night. It’s a little late for coffee,” said Belle.

“I’m not going for coffee. I’m following someone. Can you go with me?” asked Brady.

Belle knew she wasn’t supposed to leave the house. Her mom had just left and would freak out if Belle wasn’t home when she returned. Maybe she would call the office and get permission. 

“Come on Girl Scout. I really need you,” said Brady.

Against her better judgment, Belle agreed to accompany Brady, with parameters of course. 

“I really shouldn’t,” said Belle.

“I really need you. I don’t know my way around yet except for your house, school and of course home. I just need to see something and then I promise I will have you back home. It should be an hour, tops,” said Brady. 

Belle heard the urgency in Brady’s voice and decided that she would go. Clearly whatever he needed to see was important enough for him to call her at night. 

“OK, Rebel. So long as you have me back home in an hour,” said Belle. 

Jumping out of bed, she grabbed a pair of sweats and got dressed. Brady would be there soon and the sooner she left, the sooner she could get back home. 

Marlena unlocked the door to her office and turned on the light. So much for going home early thanks to a canceled appointment. She felt like this was the longest day ever. She sat at her desk and began to check her messages by force of habit, forgetting why she was there at this hour. She was suddenly reminded when John walked into the door.

There he was standing in her office. Nothing stood between them but space and opportunity. Trying to suppress her nerves, Marlena stood up and invited him to come and have a seat. 

Walking into Marlena’s office was a time warp for John. So many sessions and deep conversations had taken place in this room. It was all starting to come back to him.

“I can’t stay too long. It’s been a grueling day and I just want it to end,” said Marlena.

John took a seat on the sofa and beckoned her to come sit with him.

“I won’t bite,” said John.

Marlena slowly walked over to the sofa and sat next to John. She could feel the electricity immediately and knew this conversation was going to be harder than she thought. The plan was to talk but all she could think about was hugging John as tight as she could and never letting go. She’d missed him tremendously and felt a flood of emotions beginning to take over.

“Thanks for seeing me. Doc, I’ve missed you more than words can say and I could kick myself for allowing all this time to come between us. I should have been more aggressive. I never should have let Roman keep me out of your life,” started John.

“It’s moot now. You’ve moved on and I assume happy and I am happy for you,” lied Marlena. “We both made choices and we have to live with them.”

John reached over to grab Marlena’s hand. As much as she wanted to recoil, she didn’t deprive herself of the sensation of John’s touch. It was a sensation she fantasized about for years. She could feel the warmth and electricity radiating from the tips of his fingers and she knew he felt it too.

“Oh John. This was a mistake. You have to leave,” said Marlena, feeling herself grow weak. “I don’t trust myself around you.” 

This was music to John’s ears. The truth was, he didn’t want Marlena to trust herself around him, because the feeling was mutual. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her passionately.

He leaned in and placed his forehead on hers and intertwined their fingers. Marlena closed her eyes and allowed herself to live in this moment. As long as it didn’t go beyond this, she could live with herself.

“Gosh how I’ve missed you. Your smell. Your touch,” whispered Marlena. “I never stopped loving you. You were always in my heart. Always.” 

“I still love you Doc. I always have and I always will,” said John not opening his eyes. He knew if he opened them, he would get lost.

Marlena could feel the pull of John’s energy so strongly. It took everything in her to not kiss him.

“John, you are married to Kristen now and I have to respect that. We crossed that line before, but we were given a second chance,” said Marlena. 

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” said John with a burst of energy. “I’m moving back to Salem and I want you in my life. I need you in my life,” said John almost out of breath.

Marlena pulled back in shock. “You are divorcing Kristen? I couldn’t let you do that, John,” said Marlena.

“I’m not divorcing Kristen because we were never married,” said John.

“I was at the wedding, John. I saw you marry her. It destroyed me,” said Marlena welling up with tears.

John lifted her chin and wiped her tears and smiled. 

“Doc, I never filed the paperwork. Kristen and I aren’t legally married,” said John. 

Marlena looked at John with shock and disbelief. “John, what are you saying?” asked Marlena.

“I’m saying that I never filed the paperwork because I never wanted to marry anyone but you,” said John. “I held out hope that you would come back to me.”

Without further hesitation Marlena fused her lips on John’s. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn’t hold back her desire any longer. She had missed the smell and touch of this man for a lifetime and to have him confess that type of loyalty was more than she had ever gotten from Roman. He may have suppressed their love, but he could never smother it.

John followed her lead and held her face gently in the palm of his hands. Part of him thought if he moved too suddenly, this fantasy would go away. Kissing her softly down the side of her neck, John slid the strap of her dress just below her shoulder. He didn’t want to go any further just yet.

Marlena could feel the warm dampness growing between her thighs. While she hadn’t planned on having sex tonight, she was happy that she’d groomed. She’d forgotten how hot John made her. Her body immediately became flushed with fever and she could feel her mound began to throb.

“John, make love to me,” Marlena whispered in her weakened state. 

John pulled back and looked deep into her eyes and didn’t say a word. He just allowed their magic love language to take over reading each other’s mind. John hadn’t felt a connection this strong since the last time he was in Salem. He knew now more than ever that he was where he was meant to be.

Marlena returned John’s gaze and that’s when he saw what he was looking for. That twinkle in her brilliant hazel eyes that gave him permission to become them. 

Climbing on top of her, John slowly parted her knees like the Red Sea and bunched her dress up her thighs.  Marlena began to tremble just from the anticipation of what John was about to do next. Pinning one hand above her head, John used the other to slide his fingers down her panties. He traced the outline of her folds with his finger tips.

Marlena arched her back and began to thrust her pelvis into him. Her loins starved for some form of penetration. She felt John’s firmness bump against her thigh and immediately unzipped his pants to relieve the pressure. She didn’t mean to be this forward, but she hadn’t been touched in ages. 

Trying to savor every last moment, John slowly removed Marlena’s panties and tossed them to the floor. He then pulled the straps of her dress down one by one exposing her erect nipples. Taking them into his mouth, John slightly thrust his hard length into Marlena’s salivating mound to tease her just a bit more.

She couldn’t take it much longer and helped herself by pulling John’s pants just below his waist exposing his massive erection. Grabbing his girth, Marlena poised the tip of John at her entrance. Looking deep into his eyes, she braced herself as he slowly breached her entry. 

John melted from the sensation of Marlena’s slick walls tightening around him. After plunging as deep as he could go, he refrained from thrusting right away. He needed a moment to bask in her love. He had missed the feel of her body more than he realized and wanted to memorize every detail. 

The seal had been broken. The walls had been breached. There was no reason to hold back now. Marlena relaxed her body and allowed John to explore every inch of her. Spreading her legs as wide as she could, Marlena was determined to take full advantage of John’s manhood. As much as her starving folds wanted to be savagely beaten, she enjoyed the tenderness and passion. 

They had to admit that making love with each other was like riding a bike. They’d never forgotten where to find each other’s hidden treasures. John knew immediately when to touch that spot in the inner fold of Marlena’s thigh. Marlena knew when to open her body to John in a way that made them climax simultaneously. 

Marlena’s eyes suddenly rolled in the back of her head as she could feel a massive wave of euphoria coming over her. She’d forgotten what a full body orgasm felt like. 

“Do I keep going?” grunted John. 

Marlena was just about to explode when she realized what John meant. In a split second, she decided to receive all of John, come what may. Locking her legs around his waist, John plunged with determination until he released for at least 30 seconds before collapsing in Marlena’s arms. He was home and he was never leaving again.

“I love you Doc,” whispered John into the small of her neck.

“I love you too, my love,” replied Marlena. 

She didn’t know how she was going to pull this off, but it was at this very moment that Marlena was determined more than ever to keep John in her life and she wasn’t going to let anything stop her. She no longer cared about what was right or wrong. All she knew was that she wasn’t living another day without John Black in it. 

Belle got into the Bentley and was shocked that Brady pulled up in such a fancy car. 

“Subtle much?” said Belle.

“Relax, it was the only car in the garage. It’s my grandfather’s and he’s away so…” said Brady. “Now how do I get to the coffee shop on 3rd?” asked Brady full of determination.

Belle put on her seatbelt. “Turn at the light,” she replied. “So what’s this all about?”

“My stepmom is up to something shady and I want to know what it is,” said Brady. “She called someone and told them something was urgent and to meet her at the coffee shop on 3rd.”

Brady pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop and backed into a spot with a good view inside. He could see Kristen sitting at a table looking at her watch and tapping her fingers on the table. 

“Is that her tapping her fingers?” asked Belle. 

“Yeah, that’s her. I want to see who she was itching to meet. It’s weird because my dad vanished right before she did. Something strange is going on,” said Brady watching the parking lot. 

“Now that I think of it, my mom suddenly had to go to the office,” said Belle. 

Just then a flashy red sports car pulled into the parking lot and parked right near the entrance. Brady watched closely to see if it was Kristen’s guest. Belle also took notice and realized she recognized the driver too. It was Sami. Belle thought it was a coincidence until she saw Sami take a seat opposite of Kristen and order a drink from the waitress.

“Who’s the chick? I just knew she was meeting some dude,” mumbled Brady. 

Belle just sat watching closely and didn’t say a word. It was almost like she was trying to read their lips although she was much too far to see that much detail. What she did know for sure was that Sami was having a late night meeting with Brady’s stepmom who happens to be a Black and part of the very family Sami just attacked her for being associated with. This day just kept getting more and more bizarre.

“Alright Girl Scout, I’ll get you back home,” said Brady starting the engine. 

“Hold on,” said Belle. “That’s no chick. That’s my sister,” said Belle. 

“Are you serious?” asked Brady. “Well, they did live here a long time ago so maybe they are just catching up.” 

“You don’t understand. Remember I told you I got into a fight with my sister? Well we were fighting because of you,” said Belle.

Brady was shocked. “Me? Why would your sister pick a fight because of me?” he asked. 

“I don’t know but that’s what I intend to find out. She went ballistic when I told her that you and I were, you know, cool and she tried to forbid me to be around you. Something about the Black and Brady family history or something. Mom touched on it lightly but had to leave,” said Belle fixated on watching her sister and Kristen speak. To be a fly on the wall. Samantha Brady was up to something and Belle was going to get to the bottom of it. 

Sami added several sugars to her iced tea while Kristen began to ramble about the assignment she was giving. While she was happy to have a new job, she didn’t think it would start right away let alone the middle of the night.

“I need you to keep your mother and my husband from meeting up tomorrow. I have reason to believe they may have plans for lunch or something in the afternoon,” said Kristen.  

“Ok, I am sure I can come up with something, but you have a bigger problem,” said Sami, being careful not to reveal too much. “My kid sister and your stepson are friends at school. They’ve been hanging out. If you want to keep my mom away from John, you better do something fast. I damn near attacked her and threatened her to stay away from him.” 

Kristen hadn’t planned on having to watch both of the Black men in her family. What was it with these Brady women? They just kept complicating her life. Kristen thought long and hard for a moment and knew she’d have to be cunning if she was going to keep Brady away from Belle. With him being a teen, she could easily get him grounded if need be. 

“I’ll take care of Brady and you take care of Marlena. Ok, that’s all,” said Kristen somewhat dismissively. 

Sami was starting to really dislike this woman but for now, she needed to align with her in order to protect her secret and pay for this surgery. After she got what she needed, she’d figure out what to do from there. 

Brady and Belle sat in the car and watched Kristen and Sami get into their vehicles and drive off in different directions.

“What in the hell was that?” asked Belle. 

Brady felt bad. He had no intention of dragging Belle into drama. “I’m sure it’s nothing Girl Scout. We can talk to our folks about this mysterious Brady vs Black history and I am sure it will make perfectly good sense,” he said. 

Although he was trying to lighten the mood, he could tell that Belle was vexed. “Let me get you home Girl Scout,” he said. 

Brady and Belle drove home in silence. He felt completely responsible for her feeling crumby. Pulling up to a red light Brady rubbed her shoulder and tried to comfort her.

“It’s probably nothing,” urged Brady.

“You don’t know my sister. Everything she touches turns to dirt. I just have a bad feeling about this, and I don’t know why,” said Belle, feeling nervous. “Please just take me home.”

Brady waited for his light to turn green and proceed through the light when all of a sudden a delivery truck came out of nowhere and t-boned them on Belle’s side, spinning the car several times before it jumped the curb and flipped. Shatter glass covered the street as the two teens laid unconscious in a pool of their own blood.  The accident could be heard for blocks, especially up the road where the Brady house was. Just a block from her house, Belle didn’t make it home as planned. 

John and Marlena laid in each other’s arm basking in afterglow. Although John was still officially in a committed relationship, Marlena had zero guilt about giving herself to him. She had grown tired of taking the L all the time because of this so-called moral compass. 

“Gosh have I missed you,” said Marlena feeling wobbly but invigorated. 

She hadn’t had an orgasm with that level of intensity since the last time she and John had made love. 

“I have missed you Doc. More than words could express,” said John.

The sofa in Marlena’s office wasn’t large enough for them to lay comfortably, but them being cramped in such an awkward space was fitting. It was reminiscent of the Alamain jet full of emotion, passion and then unapologetic sex. 

There was so much to work out now that they reconfirmed their love. They would have to tell their children and the worst was having to deal with Kristen. 

“John, what have we done?” asked Marlena talking out of her head. 

“We told the truth,” he said stroking her shoulders. 

John was right. This was them living in their truth after years of being manipulated and sabotaged. She was fed up and more than willing to fight for their love and as much as she wanted to make love again and again, she did have to get home. 

“So now what?” asked Marlena.

John sat up and began to grab Marlena’s displaced clothing scattered around them. He picked up her panties and slowly began to dress her as seductively as he’d undressed her. 

“Well, we go home and talk to our families,” said John. “Mine has been a long time coming.”

Marlena lifted up so that John could pull her panties up over her hips and began to kiss her again. Falling into his rhythm, she felt herself getting swept away again.

“I have to get home. I worry about leaving Belle home alone at night,” said Marlena while stroking John’s length again.

All she knew was that her body was ignoring what her mind was telling her. She needed to get home to her kid and most importantly, she needed to be alone so that she could wrap her head around all of the events that unfolded. 

Standing there completely naked except for her panties, Marlena draped her arms around John while stealing one last lingering kiss. 

“I miss you already,” said John. “A quickie for the road?”

Before Marlena could respond, John had mounted her again leaving her panties on but pushing them to the side. Rubbing on her lips, John could feel her juices start to flow again. 

“Baby, we can’t,” whispered Marlena not putting up a fight. 

Marlena didn’t resist John’s advances and melted in his arms. It had been ages and Marlena felt no need to deprive herself of some back to back action. 

“You want a quickie?” asked John kissing her softly on her neck. 

“It has to be really quick,” replied Marlena. 

John suddenly pick Marlena up and carried her to the wall. He lifted one leg and slowly entered her warm center. Her body quivered with every inch that John plunged into until he reached her depth. He’d found that special place that only he knew how to find.

Once he’d felt her tightness adjust around him, John drilled into Marlena with speed and precision. His quick shallow strokes sent a vibration through her body that she’d never felt before. John could feel himself losing control. Burying his face into Marlena’s neck, he could smell that scent that he’d missed so much, the combination of muted lavender mixed with a hint of musky sex.

The sound of John’s restrained grunts drove Marlena insane. He was a quiet lover but Marlena needed to hear him. She wanted this time with John to be rough and dirty.

“I want to hear you,” commanded Marlena. “Don’t hold back.”

John pulled back and looked deep into Marlena’s eyes. In a flash, history played before him. He saw their first encounter. He saw them running through the jungle. He saw her walking down the aisle. He saw her on the Alamain jet. He saw her in the hot springs. He saw her now. He had finally gotten the girl. 

“Oh Doc you feel so good. I can’t believe I have you back in my arms again. I love you so much,” said John.

Marlena could feel his muscles tighten against her flesh. She had held back for this moment. She was determined that they climax together. Oh how she wished she wasn’t in her office with a staff on the other side of that door. She wanted to scream in ecstasy from the top of her lungs. She wanted to say filthy words and beg John to do naughty things to her.

John picked up Marlena’s other leg and had her completely pinned to the wall. With skill and agility, John held her tight releasing himself with force and intensity. The sweat from his chin dripped down Marlena’s cleavage. She licked his lips and swirled her tongue in his mouth one last time before she had to really go.

“I love you so much John Black. I am never letting you go,” said Marlena. 

They just held each other close for a few minutes, hating for the fantasy to end. Marlena felt a twinge of sadness because she didn’t want to say goodbye. She had said it too many times before and the thought of having a moment like this and still having to part ways was hard to take. 

Belle and Brady were rushed to University Hospital completely unconscious. Wheeling them into the ER, Brady was taken to the left and Belle to the right. Teams of nurses tried to clean the blood from their faces to see where the lacerations were.

“This one has a dislocated shoulder,” said one nurse. 

“This one has nice gashes on the hands,” said another nurse.

“This one is crashing!” exclaimed the doctor.

The team of nurses and doctors worked in a haste to stabilize Belle. After taking a scan they determined there was some internal bleeding.

“We need parents! This one has a ruptured spleen. Nurse, do we know who these kids are?” asked the doctor. 

Brady regained consciousness and tried to talk. He attempted to remove his oxygen mask but the nurses stopped him several times.  His shoulder was killing him and he needed to find out if Belle was ok. This was all his fault. She said she didn’t want to go. He promised to have her home in an hour and now they were both the hospital.  He needed to make sure she was going to be ok.

“Please. My friend,” groaned Brady.
“What’s your name? Do you know where you are?” asked the nurse.

The room was spinning but Brady was able to answer. His dad was going to kill him. His grandfather was going to kill him. All he could think to worry about was if Belle was ok. 

“Brady. Brady Black. Belle, Is she ok? Please, her mom is a doctor.  Evans…,” said Brady fading out.

John and Marlena walked down the hall of the hospital trying to savor their reunion. They made plans to have dinner tomorrow night to go over what the next step was going to be. They were going to strategize to make sure they reduced the hurt and confusion, but lived in their truth. 

Just as she was about to get on the elevator a nurse saw Marlena and ran over to her.

“Oh my gosh Dr. Evans! How did you get here so fast? You need to sign for a surgery,” said the nurse in a haste. “Dr. Miller is doing the surgery. Belle is in good hands.”

John and Marlena looked at each other confused.

“Nurse, what are you talking about? What about Belle?” Marlena asked in a panic.

“She and a boy were brought in. They were in a really bad car accident. I’m sorry I thought…,” said the nurse. 

Before she could finish her sentence Marlena and John were running to the ER. There must be some mistake. Belle is home. Belle doesn’t drive. Belle wouldn’t leave the house. That is it. This was a mistake and she was going to prove it right now.

Marlena tried to access the room but was not allowed to enter.

“Dr. Evans, please wait outside,” said a nurse.

“I’m a doctor. Is that Belle Brady? I need to see if that’s my daughter! There must be some mistake,” said Marlena trying to not have a meltdown. 

John walked behind Marlena and held her shoulders and tried to step in.

“Nurse, what’s going on,” asked John.

“I’m sorry, are you the father?” asked the nurse. Clearly she was new and didn’t know about the rich history and reputation of Dr. Evans. 

“No, I’m John Black and technically I’m her godfather,” said John looking over at Marlena.

“I’m her mother. I’m Dr. Evans. What’s going on?” asked Marlena.

“There was a car accident.  Two teenagers were struck by a delivery truck. The car rolled. They are being checked right now,” said the nurse. 

The nurse looked at her file and then back up to Marlena and John.

“Oh, I’m glad to have you both here. Your son and your daughter sustained multiple lacerations and contusions,” began the nurse.

John needed to have the nurse repeat herself. “My son?” asked John.

“You are the father of Brady Black, right?” she asked.

“Yes I am,” said John. 

“Apparently your son was driving and Belle was the passenger,” said the nurse. “They were in a maroon Bentley.”

John grabbed his chest in a panic. Marlena held his arm and pressed for more details. 

“Are they ok?” asked Marlena.

“Brady will be fine. After a few stitches and 24 hours of observation. Belle had a ruptured spleen and is being prepped for surgery,” said the nurse.

Marlena’s knees gave out beneath her. John caught her and guided her to the chair. 

“I need to call the kids. I need to call…,” began Marlena.

“Dr. Evans, your daughter is in great hands and should pull through just fine,” said the nurse.

John and Marlena went and sat in the waiting room trying to piece together how this could have happened. 

“Belle mentioned just before I left that she and Brady met at school. I guess they were hanging out,” said Marlena trying to jar her memory.

“I guess after I left, he took his grandfather’s car. Where in the hell were they going and what in the hell was Brady thinking?” John mumbled to himself. 

He looked over and saw Marlena shell shocked in the corner nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee that she hadn’t touched. John wanted to walk over and comfort her but he needed to call Kristen to let her know what had happened.  He knew he was going to be in the middle now that he and Marlena made plans to move forward as a couple but he didn’t think it would happen this fast. Before he could even get up, Marlena turned to him.

“Oh John. You need to call Kristen. She needs to know what happened. She needs to be here,” said Marlena always being selfless. Her main focus was making sure the children were ok and had no trouble putting her personal feelings to the side.

John heard Marlena loud and clear but didn’t say a word. He knew she was right and the fact that she was the one that suggested it made him love her even more. How was he going to explain what he was doing at the hospital by coincidence? How was he going to explain being there at this hour with Marlena? The fact was, Kristen was going to find out anyway, he was just hopeful that he could do it in a better way.

John got up to make the call leaving Marlena to nurse her cup of coffee. He thought it would be a good idea to call Sami, Carrie and Eric too. Maybe it would be easier to call Carrie and let her share the news. Now John was starting to see why Marlena kept saying this was the longest day ever. 

Day 3- Early Morning

Brady was stabilized and resting comfortably in his room. John walked in and was shocked to see his son laying there with a bandaged forehead and hands with lacerations all over his face. John just pulled up a chair and sat beside his son so grateful that he was alive. He’d find out why he was out with Belle later. For now, his focus was making sure the kids were ok.

He’d left Marlena’s side reluctantly since Belle’s injuries had her in ICU. Once he made sure Brady was out of the woods, he would go check on them. John heard the door open behind him and saw Kristen enter.

“Oh my goodness John. What happened?” asked Kristen.

“He stole his grandfather’s car. He was hit by a truck,” said John not taking his eyes off his son. 

Kristen stood behind John and rubbed his shoulders. While she didn’t want any harm to come to Brady, for a brief moment she thought about how this could give her an advantage in convincing John to leave Salem. 

“Is he going to be ok?” asked Kristen.

“Thankfully yes,” said John. 

A nurse came in and wanted to talk to John outside, leaving Kristen alone with a sleeping Brady. She watched him began to shift in his sleep and then regain consciousness.  He opened his eyes and tried to make out where he was.

“Belle?” he called out. “Where’s Belle? Is she ok?”

Kristen jumped to attention and went to Brady’s bedside. “You are in the hospital. You were in a car accident. What do you remember?” asked Kristen. 

Brady was so sedated that he couldn’t focus and get his thoughts together. All he could remember was hearing a scream and the car spinning in circles. He vaguely recalled shielding Belle with his hand when the glass shattered upon impact.

Brady continued to get his bearings. He was able to focus his vision and was surprised to find Kristen at his bedside. 

“Where’s my dad?” asked Brady. 

“Oh honey, he’s outside talking to the nurse. Everything is going to be fine. I’ll go get him,” said Kristen.

Just as Kristen got up Brady called for her.

“No, wait!” said Brady. He struggled to get his thoughts together. He tried to sit up but Kristen stopped him.

“No, Brady. You need your rest. Your dad will be right back,” said Kristen.

“What are you up to this time Kristen?” mumbled Brady. “I saw you.”

Kristen had no idea what Brady was talking about. Clearly he must have a concussion because he wasn’t making any sense. 

“Rest Brady. I’ll go get your dad,” said Kristen.

“No. Not until you tell me why you were meeting with Sami Brady?” Brady managed to utter.

Kristen was shocked that he’d discovered her knowing Sami. Clearly Brady was a lot busier than she’d given him credit for.

“You don’t know what you are saying. Just get some rest,” said Kristen.

“I saw you and Sami having coffee on 3^rd. You called her and told her to meet you because you had a problem,” said Brady. “Why does Sami want Belle to stay away from us but feel compelled to have coffee with you?” 

That was a really good question and there was no way in hell Kristen was about to explain herself to a kid. Before she could answer, John came back into the room grateful. 

“Great news. Brady your scan came back and everything looks good. You’ll be sore as hell for a few weeks, but you are going to be ok son,” said John trying to hold back his tears. 

Kristen looked somewhat nervous at Brady hopeful that he wouldn’t continue with his questions about Sami. She needed to get her story straight.  

“Dad, I am so sorry about this but I can explain,” began Brady.

“Brady, just rest. No need to explain. We are just glad that you are safe,” said Kristen. “John, don’t press him for details. Just let him rest. Besides, he may not even be making sense.” 

Just as Kristen spoke it into existence, Brady passed out again. She was relieved that she had a little while longer to conjure up an explanation for meeting with Sami Brady. She needed to think fast. Maybe her attorney could have the case tomorrow postponed for a day. Clearly this was an unforeseen circumstance and an additional 24 hours would give her more time to reach her father. 

Marlena stood over a recovering Belle as she held her hand. She felt like a complete failure as a mother. Here she was having an affair for all intents and purposes and her teenage daughter was lying in a hospital bed with months of pain and recovery ahead of her. She felt sick. 

Sami walked into the room and was horrified to see her baby sister in such a condition. She ran over to hug her mother.

“Mom, Carrie called me and told me what happened. She said John called her?” asked Sami.

True to form Sami was more focused on John Black being in the fold over the current condition of her sister. She was a work in progress and would hopefully get there.  Marlena looked up and was pleased to see Sami.

“Oh honey,” said Marlena embracing her and starting to cry. “I’m so glad you are here.”

“Carrie and Eric are on their way,” said Sami. She was very nervous and wasn’t sure how to ask the right questions without raising any red flags.

“Thank you honey. I know it will take them a while to get here, but I have you,” said Marlena squeezing her hand. 

Sami just looked at Belle lying there all bandaged and bruised. She resented her sister more than anything but she didn’t want her hurt. If she could get through this without her secret being discovered, she promised to make better choices. Between trying to keep everyone from learning what she’d done all those years ago and trying to find a way to have this surgery, she’d had enough.

A nurse came in to check Belle’s vitals and change her I.V. medication. 

“Oh my gosh! Nurse, she’s allergic to penicillin!” exclaimed Marlena coming to her senses. 

The nurse smiled at Marlena. “Don’t worry Dr. Evans. We know. We tested her when she came in before we administered anything. She’s going to be just fine,” she said. 

“How did the surgery go?” asked Marlena.

“It went well. We did have to give Belle more blood. Did you know she carried a rare DEC2 gene?” asked the nurse. 

“DEC2?” asked Sami. “What is that?

“It’s nothing to worry about. It’s a marker we found during some tests. It just means that your daughter is special. She is part of the 1% of the population that can thrive on no sleep,” said the nurse. “Do you or your husband carry the same trait?”

Marlena wrinkled her nose and was shocked to learn this. She’d recalled reading a journal years ago on the subject but never gave it any more attention beyond that. 

“No, not that I could recall,” said Marlena. “I certainly don’t carry the trait and Belle’s father is deceased.”

“Oh well if you have more children, testing for the trait now is super easy,” said the nurse.

Sami could feel the bile rising as she scurried to change the subject.

“Yeah, I studied hematology when I volunteered here. The science has come so far. How long will it be until Belle wakes up?” asked Sami. 

“It’s hard to say. Her brain activity is fine and considering she can survive without much sleep, she could be awake as soon as the anesthesia wears off,” she replied. 

Sami watched her sister rest peacefully while feeling a huge pit in her stomach with every breath that Belle drew. Sami needed to get some air and compose herself. She needed to figure out a way to change the focus from this DEC2 trait to something else more important.

“Mom, I’m going to see if Carrie and Eric are here yet,” said Sami.

“Ok honey. I’ll be right here,” she said as she caressed Belle’s limp hand. 

Sami went into the corridor of the hospital and took a deep breath. She was starting to feel the aches in her legs again. The fatigue from her surgery complications were starting to kick in. She’d just remembered she was supposed to be fasting for her labs. How could she have forgotten? She recalled eating pizza earlier with Belle and then she had the iced tea with a mound of sugar when she met Kristen. She just couldn’t do anything right. 

Since the fast was broken, Sami walked over to the coffee station and poured herself a cup and grabbed a pastry for posterity. She’d have to add carbs to her list of things to give up in the future as well. Just as she was about to take a bite of her jelly donut, she had the shock of her life when Kristen and John approached.

“Hi Sami, it’s been a while,” said John. “You are all grown up.”

John hadn’t seen Sami since he left Salem. They didn’t leave on the best of terms and he never understood why she’d pulled away from him. They were always so close, even after Roman came back. All of a sudden one day, she changed.  Without reason, she became rude and disrespectful. 

“John,” said Sami hating to acknowledge him. What was he doing here and most importantly, how was Kristen going to play this run in? 

“Oh Kristen, you remember Samantha Brady, Roman and Marlena’s daughter,” said John making the introduction.

Sami waited for Kristen’s response so that she would know her cue. 

“Wow, yes! Nice to see you again. It’s been a while,” said Kristen. “Honey, I need to call the attorney to see if I can get the hearing postponed for tomorrow. In light of…,” said Kristen.

Kristen couldn’t exit fast enough and Sami bolted in the opposite direction. Walking over to the coffee station, John helped himself to a fresh cup when Marlena appeared.

“How’s Brady?” she asked resisting the urge to hug him.

John looked at her face and wanted to kiss it so badly. “He’s going to be fine. Belle? How is she?” asked John.

“She’s going to pull through. I am so grateful,” said Marlena as she broke down and began to cry.

John sat his coffee on the nearest table and hugged Marlena in his arms. He wasn’t just hugging her because he was in love with her, he was hugging her to show compassion. 

“I’m ok. I’m ok,” said Marlena pulling away. “She’s going to be fine. I did learn something new. Apparently, Belle carries a rare DEC2 trait that we never knew about. I don’t carry the gene. Have you heard of it?” asked Marlena.

John was fascinated with what Marlena had just said. “Wow, that’s incredible. I know about the trait all too well,” said John. 

“Where’s Kristen? Did she make it?” asked Marlena looking around.

“She’s calling the attorney to see if we can get the hearing tomorrow postponed,” said John. He looked around the corner to make sure they were alone. “I’m not doing this. I am not going to not hold you or console you at a time like this. I’m going to tell Kristen about us now.”

Marlena wanted to start her life with John as soon as possible but a scene at the hospital with both of their children going through all this trauma was enough fireworks for the night. “John, no. Not here. Not now. I’m spending the night here of course. Make sure Brady is ok and let’s figure this out in the morning. I love you,” she whispered almost afraid to say it out loud.

John grabbed the tip of her finger and held it until she reluctantly walked away. He loved that woman with every fiber of his being. He had to be with her and had to make sure he let Kristen down easy. This was going to devastate her. He wasn’t in love with Kristen, but he did care about her feelings even if she herself lacked empathy. 

Day 3 – Morning

John stood in the mirror shaving when he saw Kristen’s reflection standing behind him. 

“Crazy night huh?” she asked trying to break the ice. “At least Brady comes home today. I haven’t heard back from the attorney about getting the trial postponed for a day, but I am sure it will be fine.”

John just smiled politely to acknowledge hearing her although he remained silent. He was trying to figure out a way to open this conversation that secretly he’d fantasized about having for years.

“I think you should go to court. I think you need to push through and get this over and done with,” said John. “I also think…”

Kristen cut him off because she didn’t want to have a continuation of the conversation from last night. “John, let’s just go get Brady and then depending on how he’s feeling, we can go see that place you mentioned we had an appointment to see today at noon. You know, the one with the bigger closets,” she said. 

“How about we go get Brady and take it from there. I am sure he would love to see you. You’ve been kind to him,” said John.

“Well of course. He’s my stepson. I care for him very much,” said Kristen not at all sounding like herself. Clearly she was doing damage control. She knew that John had contacted Marlena and they planned to meet this afternoon. Kristen still had time to prevent their reunion. 

John left the bathroom to get dressed. Kristen was watching all that she worked for unraveling before her very eyes. Her company was being threatened, her freedom was on the line, her husband was about to start sniffing around with Doc and she couldn’t get in touch with her father. She was starting to feel like she was running out of options. Now she was going to have to figure out how to explain her meeting with Sami. Brady clearly had followed her to the café last night. What else did he know and how long had he been snooping around? She wished she’d pushed harder for boarding school.

She wanted to ride with John to the hospital but knew she needed to stop by the courthouse first. The last thing she needed was a bench warrant. She saw now why her dad kept loyal accomplices lurking in every corner. It was becoming impossible to keep all of these irons in the fire.

Marlena slept in the lazy boy chair beside Belle, who hadn’t regained consciousness. She spent half the night watching her eyes hoping they would miraculously open. The only thing that helped her get a few hours of sleep was the fact that John was back in her life and she’d just had the best mind blowing sex ever. She was extremely nervous about how she and John were going to share their big news. She was even more concerned with how Kristen was going to behave. She did tend to be on the psychotic side, not that much different from Sami. 

As Marlena slept, she could smell the robust aroma of fresh coffee brewing. Clearly she was dreaming a very vivid dream. She opened her eyes a bit and saw John kneeling in front of her waving a cup of gourmet coffee under her nose. 

“Good morning gorgeous,” said John. He loved watching her sleep and looked forward to this sight from this morning on. 

“Hi,” said Marlena lighting up with a smile. She never expected John’s face to be the first thing she saw when she got up every morning, but she was certainly going to get used to it.

Getting up to splash water on her face and brush her teeth, Marlena excused herself leaving John alone with Belle. He looked at her face and tried to look deep to see if his gut was leading him down the right direction. All those years ago, he was told that Belle was Roman’s child. Did Marlena mislead him? He cursed himself for even asking such a question. But was the test wrong? John took a sterile over the counter paternity test swab from his pocket and rubbed it across Belle’s cheek to get a DNA sample. He felt duplicitous, but at the same time, the less people that knew about another paternity test, the more confident he felt about getting the truth. 

He’d made arrangements to have the results determined by a private lab almost instantly, the representative waited in the hall for John as he handed the lady the sample. 

“Again, this is confidential. No one is to know. I need a rush on this,” said John.  

“I have a mobile lab downstairs. We should have results shortly,” said the rep. 

John stood there pensive. His gut was telling him that Belle Brady was his child. If he’d missed all this time being in her life because of a mistake? He didn’t want to think of it. From the time he learned Marlena was pregnant, he fantasized about being that baby’s father and when he learned he wasn’t, it was the most soul crushing experience he’d felt since losing Marlena to Roman.  It was a pain that he would always feel. 

Just as he did an about face, Marlena appeared. 

“Is Brady ok? You were gone when I came out,” said Marlena. 

“I’m going to go check on him now. He was getting some last looks from the doctor so I came by to check on you and Belle,” said John. 

“Ok, well go on. I’ll be here. Waiting for Belle to wake up,” said Marlena with her voice cracking. 

John ran his fingers across her face to help soothe her broken spirit. He had the paternity test on the tip of his tongue when a nurse came out of Belle’s room with good news.

“Dr. Evans, Belle is calling for you,” she said. 

John packed Brady’s belongings and went over his discharge orders with the doctor. It was a lot to go over but John was so glad that he had another chance. This was a wakeup call and he was determined to be more present for Brady. With Marlena as a mother figure and a possible younger sister…his head was all over the place. The results should be back soon. 

“Dad, how is Belle? Can I see her?” asked Brady. 

“I heard she just woke up son. Let’s stop by on our way out. I bet she would love to see a friendly face,” said John. 

Just as he wheeled Brady out of his room, Kristen appeared. She looked at Brady and tried to gauge his disposition.  

“Hey Brady! How are you feeling?” asked Kristen. 

“I’m ok,” said Brady smiling with gratitude. “I really feel like it’s all going to be ok, right dad?” asked Brady.

“You bet son,” said John beaming with pride.

“Can we go see Belle now?” asked Brady.

Kristen wrinkled her nose. “Belle Brady?” she asked.

“Yeah. She was with me last night in the car. We left the café together,” said Brady knowing Kristen would read between the lines. “Let’s go dad. I can’t wait to see her.”

John pushed Brady down the hall leaving Kristen to bring up the rear. She had no idea that Brady was with Belle last night. How could she have missed that detail? That is why Sami was here at that hour which meant Marlena must have been here too! The steam began to rise from Kristen’s ears when she started to put the whole thing together. How did John find out about the accident? He wasn’t home when she arrived but the timing meant that Brady must have had the accident right after he saw her leave the café. Kristen started putting two and two together and began to have another internal tantrum. 

Sami walked through the hospital corridor and saw John, Brady and Kristen heading toward her. Great. Another awkward interaction. She really didn’t want to engage and why were they here? 

“Twice in such a short period of time,” said Sami.

“Yeah, I was in the car with Belle last night,” said Brady giving Sami a small smirk. 

Sami looked at Kristen whose lack of eye contact told her they were seen. 

“Wow, I had no idea. Now it makes sense. John was the one who called Carrie to get us the info. Thank you John,” said Sami trying to keep her cool.

Kristen looked over to John. She had put the pieces together. “So you knew that Belle and Brady were in an accident together and made your way here at the speed of light and called Carrie?” asked Kristen. “How about Marlena? Did you call her too?”

There was an awkward silence when the paternity rep appeared and handed John an envelope. He thanked the rep and walked over to the corner to read the contents when Marlena appeared and saw everyone congregating in the corridor.

“Wow, full house,” said Marlena. She nodded at Kristen but did a beeline to Brady. “Hi Brady. You don’t remember me but,” 

“Hi Dr. Evans. I was hoping I could see Belle,” said Brady. 

“She’s awake and I know she would love to see you too,” said Marlena smiling with love in her eyes. “You’ve grown to be quite handsome. You have your mom’s eyes.”

“You, you knew my mom?” asked Brady.

“Isabella was a lovely woman. I was very fond of her,” said Marlena.

Brady hadn’t heard anyone mention his mom in ages. Marlena not only mentioned her, but highlighted something nice about her and it made Brady feel good inside. 

Kristen and Sami both stood in a panic, fearful that their dastardly deeds were about to be revealed at any moment. 

All Kristen could think about was John being with Marlena at some point last night.

“John, I need to speak to you,” said Kristen gritting her teeth. 

John needed to speak to her too but he needed to speak to Marlena first. 

“Hold on. A lot is about to unfold so we might as well get it out in the open,” said John. He handed Marlena the envelope with the paternity test results. 

Marlena looked at the contents of the envelope and an expression of confusion grew across her face. 

“John, what is this?” asked Marlena.

“It’s just another part of the truth Doc,” said John.

“The truth. That’s something I would like to talk about too,” said Brady. “Dad, I was going to wait but I have to tell you why I was out last night. I overheard Kristen sneaking off to meet someone and got suspicious so I followed her. I didn’t know my way around so I called Belle,” began Brady.

Both Sami and Kristen tried to interrupt Brady but he refused to be silenced. 

“Kristen was meeting with Sami at the café and it weirded Belle out so I took her home,” said Brady. “I’m sorry dad. Sorry Kristen.”

John looked at Kristen and Sami. “You guys met last night? About what?” asked John. 

“I have a better question, what are these paternity tests about John?” asked Marlena. 

Sami began to tremble with fear. It was the same response Kristen recalled seeing when she ran into Sami at the legal office. Maybe she knew what Marlena was talking about and this is why she had such a visceral reaction when she saw her or was it because she anticipated seeing John?

“Please don’t!” exclaimed Sami snatching the paper out of Marlena’s hand. 

“What are you two up to?” asked John. “Something isn’t adding up.”

“Well, I did have an impromptu interview with Sami and hired her as a new executive for K.Blake. We had no idea that we’d crossed paths until after the fact. We just didn’t want it to be awkward is all,” said Kristen. “I want to leave John. I want to leave now.” 

“Sami, why did you snatch the paper from me. You knew didn’t you?” asked Marlena in shock. “Is this a joke? What is this John?”

Sami in a panic went into deflect mode. She thought of an easy out and took it. “Mom, yes I know. I just found out too. Kristen hired me to keep you and John from reuniting. I thought it was a regular job but last night she ordered me to keep you guys from meeting. I guess we know why,” said Sami waving the papers.

John turned to Kristen with venom in his eyes. He’d known about all of the vile things that she’d done over the years, but this one was beyond unforgivable. 

“HOW COULD YOU?” roared John. 

Kristen recoiled in fear. She had never seen John this enraged. She had no idea why he was so upset. She looked over to Sami and took the paper from Sami’s hand and read it. The color drained from her face and she slightly lost touch with reality. Belle Brady was John’s child. She’d suspected that John and Marlena slept together, but she never really wanted to know the truth. She felt better living in the fantasy that she’d won. She tried over and over again to get pregnant, but it wasn’t in the cards and John always said how happy he was with it being the three of them. 

“Wait. I didn’t do this. I didn’t know anything about this. John, you have to believe me,” begged Kristen. She looked over to Sami and realized she’d underestimated her. “You lying bitch!”

Sami stood ten toes down, nostrils flaring. Her icy blue eyes sparkled as she curled the side of her mouth. Checkmate. She needed the insurance for her surgery, but there was no way she was going to pass up the opportunity to get this skeleton out of her closet. She could feel the liberation course through her veins. 

“I’m sorry mom. I’m sorry mom. When I found out, I didn’t know what to do,” said Sami. 

Marlena looked at the display before her and burst into tears. John walked over to hug and console her.

“I got you Doc. It’s going to be ok,” whispered John.

Kristen watching John hugging Marlena hit a switch because she lost it. “Take your hands off of her John! I am your wife! I didn’t have anything to do with this. You have to believe me,” said Kristen.

“Believe you? Kristen you have been deceitful since day one. I’ve known about the pool boys, the instructors. I’ve known about the laundering, the wire fraud and everything else you are running from,” said John. 

Kristen had nothing left to lose. She was all in if Marlena wanted a battle. “You must feel like a million bucks over there Marlena. All smug. You may have had John’s bastard but he married me!” shouted Kristen. “And John, if you even think of divorcing me, I will take you for every dime you have. You will wish you never met me.”

“I am already there, believe me,” snapped John. “The chickens have come home to roost Kristen. The only reason I stayed with you after I found out who you really were, was because you led me right to Stefano. Every time you called, messaged, summoned and prayed to him, I was on his tale. Thanks to your desperation with this case, we were able to lock him up three weeks ago. If I wasn’t going to be with Doc, I was going to make sure Stefano stayed away from her.”

Marlena looked at John with love in her eyes. It was another display of his loyalty. Like a guardian angel, he was watching over her all this time and she had no idea.

“What do you mean he’s locked up?” asked Kristen in a panic. “I need my father for this case!”

“You do the crime, you do the time. And I will keep my word. I will not divorce you,” said John.

“I don’t understand,” said Kristen. 

“What he saying is, you can’t divorce someone you aren’t married to. John never filed the paperwork Kristen. You and John were not legally married,” said Marlena grabbing John’s hand. 

Kristen was out of cards to play. She knew it was time for her to fold.  Plan b it was. She would be out of Salem in less than an hour and on the run. She looked at Sami with mixed feelings. It was a combination of disdain and respect. Under different circumstances, she would have been a great partner in crime. Now she was just another person on her list.

Day 3 – Afternoon

Brady sat in the lazy boy chair next to Belle’s bed in her hospital room. They were catching up on all of the action that happened earlier.

“So you are my brother? Like a blood brother?” asked Belle rhetorically. 

They had been talking about this for well over an hour and she still couldn’t stop laughing and saying it over and over again.

“Dude, our dad and your mom are in love and I mean they are all over each other, I can tell,” said Brady.

Belle gagged at the thought of it. “Are you kidding me? My parents weren’t all lovey dovey. I can’t imagine my mom acting like that,” said Belle.

“All I am saying is, from now on, knock,” said Brady laughing. 

Epilogue

John and Marlena arrived at their new penthouse as Mr. and Mrs. Black. They had gotten married the day after Kristen fled the country after realizing she was going to have to stand trial. They only waited because they missed the closing time at the courthouse. Why wait? Now they had returned from a long overdue honeymoon.

Dropping their luggage on the floor, John moved in for a passionate kiss, sweeping Marlena off her feet. 

“Whew! What was that for?” asked Marlena.

“That was the first time I kissed you in our home as Mrs. John Black,” said John.

“And I will never forget it,” said Marlena moving in for a smooch. 

Just as things were about to heat up, Belle and Brady appeared from upstairs happy to see them.

“Hi mom. Hi John I mean dad…” said Belle trying to get use to the change. “How was Hawaii?”

They had been living in the penthouse as a family for a few months and so far things had been going smoothly. She wished she was the older sibling this time but at least having and older brother was easier.

“Hi tink. Hi son! It was great!” said John putting leis around their necks.

Marlena hugged Brady. “Did you take care of things the way I entrusted you?” she asked.

Brady smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “Yes ma’am I did. No thanks to this one here!” looking at Belle while shoving her arm.

They began to bicker and talk over each other. They were all looking and feeling like a real complete family. After everything that they had been through, John and Marlena made it. A part of her felt guilty about Belle’s paternity. Not because she was sad that Belle wasn’t Roman’s but that she was ecstatic she was John’s. She saw it as a sign and symbol for a fresh beginning. 

John and the kids went into the Kitchen when the doorbell rang. Marlena answered the door and was happy to see Sami. She hadn’t received the announcement that Marlena and John had reunited very well, but felt compelled to act accordingly considering John had taken care of her lack of employment and insurance. 

“Hi mom, welcome home,” said Sami hugging her mother. “How was your honeymoon?”

“It was wonderful. I miss it already. We’ll have to do a family trip one day,” said Marlena.

Sami didn’t seem too enthused about the idea but forced a smile. “We’ll see mom. I’ve been trying to save up and take care of things. Thanks to John, the job is going well and I am almost done paying off my deductible,” said Sami.

“I told you I would have helped with that,” said Marlena sympathetically. 

“No mom. I had to take care of this whole thing myself. I had to prove to you and myself that I could do it,” said Sami full of pride. She had really tried to stay focused and avoid triggering situations and trouble. 

“Which reminds me, this is for you,” said Sami handing Marlena a check. 

Marlena looked at it and looked up at Sami and smiled. “Loan paid in full,” said Marlena hugging her daughter and shedding a tear. “I am so very proud of you Samantha Gene. You have come a long way.”

Sami loved the feeling of being adored. She was finally doing something right in her mother’s eyes. 

“Mom, I’ve only been working for a few months. I haven’t changed that much have I?” asked Sami.

Marlena looked at her daughter and lovingly tucked her beautiful highlights behind her ear and stroked the side of her face. 

“No Sami, you have changed and grown so much from when you were a teen. I had lost hope for a second. But you finally made it to the other side. I want to let you know that I love you and I forgive you and I will always be here for you,” said Marlena.  

Sami laughed with embarrassment. “You forgive me? I guess I was a little brat, huh?” said Sami.

“You were troubled and I see that now. Sami, I take full responsibility for how I failed you as a parent. I see now why you did what you did and swear to you, that I will never tell another soul,” said Marlena. 

Sami shifted uncomfortably and lost that high she was just on. “What are you talking about mom?” asked Sami.

“I know it was you Samantha. I know you are the one that switched the paternity results all of those years ago,” said Marlena in a solemn whisper. She grabbed Sami’s hands to reinforce that she was coming from a place of love. 

“Mom, I don’t…” began Sami. Her lips were silenced by Marlena’s hand.

She looked deep into Sami’s eyes and grabbed her face. “I love all of my children. All of them. Whether they are right or wrong. Good or bad. And I would protect and die for all of them. And as long as you know that I know. We are never going to speak of this again. Because unless you confess to me right now, it’s only a theory.”

Sami looked deep into her mother’s eyes. The tears that began to fall told Marlena all that she needed to know. It had taken a moment after having detailed conversations with Belle and recalling comments she’d heard Sami say that made her wheels start to spin. The comment about being pinned to the Titan Board Room Table. Her comment to Belle about her friendship with Brady appearing incestuous. Then it was when she mentioned she studied hematology. It all fit. She had the motive. The opportunity and it explained why she treated Belle so horribly all of these years. She was her father’s child. All Marlena could hope to do was start the new chapter with forgiveness.